Bacon and Caramelized Onion Bruschetta

There are few things I love more than a good, fresh bruschetta. Wonderfully ripe tomatoes, fresh garlic, onions, and herbs come together on crisp bread to make a wonderful snack. Unfortunately, the dead of winter means that fresh tomatoes are hard to come by, which makes bruschetta so much less flavorful, which is a real shame.

I was asked this weekend to bring an appetizer for an event I was attending. I don't really do appetizers - I'm an entree kind of guy. Falling back on something I knew, I made some bruschetta. I realized that I had some bacon in my fridge that needed to be used. I hatched a plan.

A couple of slices were fried up in my favorite skillet, reserving the grease for step two... Onions. It did take all my will to not eat the bacon strips. If I had more bacon, I would have used it.

Onions, chopped coarsely, were tossed in the bacon grease with a bit of olive oil then sprinkled with some kosher salt over medium-low heat to start the slow caramelization process. I almost burnt it a few times - You can't rush caramelizing onions. After 20 minutes and some regular stirring, it began getting some color:

Once the onions had reached a uniform golden brown color, I added the now-crumbled bacon and a few cloves of minced garlic. I fried for another few minutes.

This took about all my self-control to not eat. Once the garlic was aromatic, I added some oregano and my diced tomatoes and turned off the heat. A few stirs later and a couple grinds of pepper and it's ready to go! If nobody in your house is allergic to basil, that would work just as well!

To serve on, I went to my grocery store and asked them to slice a loaf of french bread thinly. I spread some olive oil on the top and put them oil side down on a baking sheet in a 450 degree oven until they were golden brown (it took about 8 minutes for me). If I had a little more time, I would have cut a garlic clove in half and rubbed it on the oiled side of each slice.

This was a big hit at my event, and I hope it is one at yours!

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Bruschetta
4 slices bacon
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano, minced
1-1.5 lb tomatoes, seeded and diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Loaf of french bread, sliced thin
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (approx)
3 cloves garlic, sliced in half

Bruschetta

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until bacon is just shy of crispy. Remove to a plate, keeping grease in pan.
2. Add olive oil, warm for 10 seconds, then add onion. Sprinkle with the kosher salt. Reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Stir occasionally until onions reach a dark golden brown color. If the onions begin to spoke or sizzle heavily, turn down the heat.
4. Crumble bacon. Add bacon and garlic to pan and stir. Cook the mixture over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic.
5. Remove pan from heat. Add oregano and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bread

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. With a brush, coat each slice of bread with olive oil.
3. Place each piece of bread upside-down on a baking tray.
4. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and rub garlic on the oiled side of each slice of bread.