Hi stargirl, I love bruschetta too. I don't have a recipe but I do have some suggestions. Stay away from recipes with oil, since it is not safe to include in canned goods. Commercial canners have different equipment so that's why you might see oil in store-bought jars. Also, Ken (ksrogers) has said he finds basil gives a bitter taste when canned.

If you are able to pressure can, you should be able to work with a salsa recipe, such as Annie's salsa which will turn up in a forum search. You can reduce the low-acid stuff like peppers in favor of extra tomatoes or do an even swap for onions and garlic. I like red wine vinegar in bruschetta, but you could add some balsamic keeping in mind that it doesn't count as your acid unless it's 5% acidity. Add your oregano (and basil if you dare), and you can can that. Add the oil after you open the jar.

I hope someone can give you a recipe though, save you time & trouble. One note, I like my bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, so you might get a more cooked taste if you can it. Still good if a bit more salsa-like, and you can thicken with sauce & paste as Annie does.

Melissa

You are in luck! The new Ball "Complete" book has just the recipe.

Bruschetta in a Jar
Makes about seven 8 ounce jars
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
9 cups chopped cored plum tomatoes

1. Prepare canner, jar and lids.
2. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine garlic through balsamic vinegar. Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 5 minutes until garlic is heated through. Remove from heat.
3. Pack tomatoes into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar. Ladle hot vinegar mixture into jar to cover tomatoes, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot liquid. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down tightly until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
4. Process 20 minutes in a BWB.

Since they only list 8 ounce jars, I'm assuming you wouldn't be able to use anything larger. I had the page flagged but I haven't been able to find plum tomatoes that look good enough to bother with.

Any opinions on using fresh herbs. Since you usually use a tablespoon fresh for a teaspoon of dried, you would need to triple to amount to 6 tbsp (3/8 cup). I have both basil and organo in my yard right now.

Here's another one from Ellie Topp, who as many of you know, is one of my favorite canning authors. I highly recommend her book "Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving." And for those of you newer to canning, she is highly reliable. You can feel comfortable that her recipes are safe, as is also true, of course, of the recipe Melly posted above.

Salsa Bruschetta-Style

3 cups chopped peeled Italian plum tomatoes
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pickling salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
2 green onions, minced
3 tbsp. tomato paste

1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, shallots, basil, vinegar, lemon juice, saltand pepper in a medium non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in green onion, tomato paste and return to a boil.

2. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle salsa into jars to within 1/2" of rim. Process 35 minutes for half-pint and 40 minutes for pint jars.

Makes 3 cups.

For Bruschetta toast sliced Italian bread and rub with cut surface of a garlic clove. Brush lightly with olive oil and spoon on salsa. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place under a broiler for several minutes to warm.

Carol

Thanks for the great tips and recipes! I hope to try everything out this season.

The roasted red pepper spread from the Ball Blue book is really good, too. It is time consuming to make, in my opinion, but my husband loves the stuff. He eats it on toasted rustic bread.

I made a lot of roasted sweet red pepper spread and also added roasted the garlic and onions that went into it too. Along with some balsamic vinegar and rosemary.

Hmm. I made the bruschetta recipe from the Bernardin tomato book two years back and was really disappointed; it is so vinegary, and the tomatoes turned so mushy, it wasn't like the fresh product at all. Have ended up just tossing most of the jars (half-pint) into big batches of spaghetti sauce so as not to completely let them go to waste.

I am not at home so don't have the recipe to hand, but the BBB one sounds v. similar.

If anyone makes one of these and has success, please share!

Wondering if this is something that would do better pressure canned, so it could be cooked for less time and with less vinegar? I don't pressure can as yet, but a good bruschetta on tap at all times might just be the thing to tempt me to try it....

Zabby

It's nice to get some feedback from someone who's made it. The Ellie Topp recipe has very little additional vinegar, even allowing for the smaller yield.

But then, it's all a matter of individual taste. I know I'm in the minority in this, but I've made the Ball roasted red pepper spread and neither DH or myself are fans. Fortunately, friends love the stuff, so it's definitely not going to waste, but it's off my list.

Carol

Yes, Thanks for the info Zabby. The new Ball book that I have is supposedly a combination of the canadian and american versions. In Canada it is sold as the Bernardin Complete Book.

Carol,

I may try the Ellie Topp one, as I have quite a bit of faith in her. And everything is, as you say, a matter of taste! (The apple pie jam does nothing for me, though so many rave about it; but I am among the roasted red pepper spread lovers!)

Stargirl, how is the texture of the Trader Joe's bruschetta? Are the tomatoes still pretty solid?

Zabby,
already working on her TJ's list for her next visit to the U.S.

Zabby,

I just opened and tried the Trader Joe's bruschetta, and it is pretty good, big chunks of tomatoes, pretty firm but with a kick to it. I am going to try the Ellie Topp recipe, I have a box of plum tomatoes. We live in the middle of no where and tomatoes during the fall and winter are almost non existant. So I think even if it is abit vinegary it will be better than nothing.

Stacie
who can't wait until I get to get my cornichon pickles done

Zabby,

Stacie is right, the Trader Joe's bruschetta is thick and chunky and is very rich tasting. Ingredient list is: diced tomatoes, canola oil, garlic, onions, distilled vinegar, salt, basil, and spices. It's so rich, I thought I'd see tomato paste in the ingredient list.

I went ahead and made the ball bruschetta recipe that was posted. I was dissapointed at how juicy it is. It is only cooked down for 30 minutes and didn't thicken much. I decided to wait and when using adding some tomato paste to see if you can thicken it up.

Stacie

Stacie,

How was the flavor of the Ball recipe? Would you change anything with the spices? I wonder if there would be a better result if you strain off some excess liquid off the top while it cooks and add tomato paste. I hope to give this a try as well as the Salsa Bruschetta Style recipe posted above.

Angela

I really liked the flavor and it smelled heavenly. I did add some fresh oragano and fresh thyme to the mix. It tasted really good too. I haven't taken it down to store, so might pop the seals, drain off the liquid and cook down some more.

Stacie

Oh shoot. Just when I start thinking "I get it". OK, Carol, why is the recipe you posted (Ellie Topp) okay with so little vinegar?

Ann

I can't be sure, but I would guess it's a combination of the tomato paste (highly acid), the vinegar and lemon juice.

In this case I operate largely on trust since Ellie Topp has her P.H.Ec. in Home Economics; her area of specialization and subject of graduate research was experimental foods. She has developed recipes for Bernardin, has served as their consultant and is one of Canada's foremost canning experts.

In looking at Topp's recipes I get the sense that she has the skill to maintain food safety in her recipes in more subtle ways, resulting in more imaginative formulas than the Ball Blue Book, for instance.

Speaking of Ellie Topp, here's a document by her which addresses the issue of making infused oils. It includes two delicious recipes for a Basil Oil with Lemon and an Oil de Provence, though the article is worth reading just for its information on safe preparation and storage.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Flavoured Oils

I know this is a very old thread but I thought I'd comment on Ellie Topp's recipe. I made it last year and DH has requested I make 12+ jars of it this year. We use it on toasted, crusty breads or pizza. Hubby eats it straight from the jar with a spoon. It is very good.

Another thing I like about Ellie Topp's recipe is you can make it in pints whereas the Ball recipe is only half pints.

I chucked reading through all the old posts. I too, am not a fan of the roasted red pepper spread but I found a wonderful use for mine and now I find myself planning to make a batch this year. I mix a couple tablespoons of it with a couple tablespoons of plain yogurt, hot sauce of your choice and level of heat and a teaspoon of dry ranch dressing mix for a very low fat, low calorie version of southwestern ranch dressing or dip. The red pepper spread is what makes it!

Bumping this because I have a general question:

I'm thinking I want to make bruschetta with green tomatoes. Can I just swap green tomatoes for red in any recipe? I'm interested in Ellie Topp's recipe above.

Thanks

Can I just swap green tomatoes for red in any recipe?

In general, yes as long as the rest of the recipe is kept the same since unripe tomatoes are more acidic than ripe ones.

Dave

I wonder if using Pickle Crisp would help maintain a firmer texture of the tomato chunks.

hi uaskigyrl, did you ever make this with green tomatoes ? last year you posted that you might. i love the red tomatoes in the recipe and would also like to try it with unripe ones.
thanks, pat