Bruschetta (Cooking Class)

I mentioned all the details of a recent cooking class I attended in my initial post about potato gnocchi, but to give you the quick 'skinny', Chef Alex Staab is a local Kansas City chef who taught us how to make gnocchi, two sauces, and bruschetta at a local commercial kitchen. It was not only delicious, but a very fun, wine-filled, and educational evening. If you live here in KC and want to attend any classes, search his name at Eventbrite. 

This bruschetta recipe is not only very simple, but its bursting with flavors - I especially love the tangy lemon, zesty garlic and the spicy pepper notes from the arugula. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. As soon as we had our bruschetta in hand, the room fell silent. I've never tried a bruschetta with red peppers to replace the tomatoes, but it was an excellent idea to switch it up and surprise the tastebuds.

Onto deliciousness....

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 loaf farm-to-market bread cut into 1/2 inch slices (we used ciabatta)
• 3 large red bell peppers
• 2 lemons
• 3 balls of mozzarella cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic peeled
• EVOO
• 4 cups of baby arugula
• Sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Roast the 3 red peppers on a grill, open flame, or in oven until completely black - I mean 100% black on outside. Pull from heat and set into a bowl, cover with saran wrap until ready to use. 
2. Drizzle the slices of bread with olive oil - on both sides. Grill until thy are nice and charred, but not burnt. Like toast. 
3. While bread is still hot rub garlic onto both sides of the bread
4. Peel the black skin from the peppers, having them super black makes them easier to peel. Remove all seeds and chop into small 1/2 inch pieces. Place pieces into large mixing bowl.
5. To the mixing bowl add the lemon zest from both lemons, the juice from the two lemons, about 2 tbsp of EVOO and about 1 tsp of sea salt.
6. Crumble the mozzarella cheese into the bowl so its in pieces no larger than 1 inch
7. Mix all ingredients in the bowl and test to see if more salt is needed. 
8. Top each piece of bread with a heaping pile of the bruschetta mixture.

Step 2 - Grilling ciabatta bread

Step 3 - Rubbing garlic on bread

Step 4: Peeling & cutting red peppers

Step 4- Cutting peppers and cheesin' up for the camera

Roasted red peppers cut and ready for mix

Baby arugula

Step 5- adding zest, lemon and salt to red peppers

Step 8 - After mixture has been tossed Alex is placing on ciabatta bread

FINAL PRODUCT!