Food from the grill might top my list of simple summer pleasures. For one, heat waves convert my kitchen to a sauna, and cooking outside, even if it is in the 80s by dinner-time, helps cool things down. More importantly, though, is the fact that food needs little preparation or extra seasoning to taste delicious when cooked over an open flame. Cooking on the grill helps enhance the food’s natural flavors and highlights what’s already there.

Some basic seasoning of olive oil, salt and pepper can make any meat or fish taste like a restaurant meal when it’s applied to the hot metal grates of the grill. Quick, grilled pizza, which replaces my favorite delivery joint in the summer, accomplishes the crunch of a brick-oven slice in half the time it would take to bake in the oven. For those of you that still need to be reminded to eat your veggies, I promise you will stop shuffling them around your plate if you gently grill them outside.

Since I’m not lucky enough to have a giant, multi-tiered grill with an accompanying smoker and stove-top burners, I’ve been able to make the most of my petite gas grill with some creative thinking and a little research. In the past few weeks I’ve climbed the ladder and have progressed to making entire meals in my backyard, and not everything is so obvious as to be served with perfectly placed grill marks. This recipe for grilled tomato Bruschetta has something special you can’t get from indoor cooking alone.

Grilled Tomato Bruschetta

• 4 large tomatoes, cored, halved, and seeds removed
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 – 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper

Heat grill on low. Prepare tomatoes as directed, then brush surfaces with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place onions on a sheet of aluminum foil ( about 12” x 12” square) with 1 Tablespoon each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Loosely wrap and seal. Place tomatoes cut side down and onion packet on grill grates. Grill tomatoes for approximately 7 – 10 minutes, keeping an eye not to burn them. Turn over and cook for another 4 – 5 minutes. Remove tomatoes and onion packet from the grill and let cool. In a food processor, pulse garlic cloves until chopped. Add tomatoes and onions and pulse until well mixed, but still chunky. Remove to a serving bowl and mix in basil, 1 – 2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with rounds of toasted Italian bread.

I’m very familiar with the saying, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” and if you’re a huge fan of traditional Bruschetta you may be thinking that at this very moment. I’m not discounting that the original may be one of the greatest things made with simple fresh ingredients. This version, however, adds another dimension of flavor just by simply grilling the tomatoes. It’s almost as if the grill is another ingredient itself, as the open flame cooks the tomatoes and tones down the acidity while enhancing the sweetness. The process of steaming the onions inside the aluminum packet tones down the typical sharpness of their raw form. The two come together with fresh basil, and the extra addition of tartness from the splash of balsamic vinegar tops everything off in the end.

This dish is amazing served on top of toasted Italian bread. If you want to take it to the next level, keep the grill warm and place the sliced bread on top for a few minutes. If you have leftovers, which is highly unlikely, toss with some warm pasta for a more filling meal. Or, if you’re like me, simply dig in to the grilled tomato Bruschetta – it’s that good on its own.

Casey Ann is a local foodie and blogger. Check out her recipes and reviews at www.cleanpl8.com.