Bob's Tuscan Bruschetta

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Several months after Bob was discharged from the army we met with a group of friends at Bughouse Square, the name locals gave to Chicago's Washington Square Park. After listening to the evenings "soapboxers" we headed to a coffee house for an evening of folk music and pizza. There were five couples with us that evening and the men had a shared service experience they rarely discussed. There was an engineer, a mathematician, 2 chemists and a pharmacist in the group. Between them they spoke 7 languages and held advanced degrees. The topic they preferred not to discuss? The army had made them all cooks and they had been together in cook's school at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Over the years it became a closed joke between them. As the wife of one of those men, I can tell you they pretty much avoided the kitchen after that. The only time Bob jumped in to help me was to make gravy. It was delicious, but he literally made a gallon of it, so, thereafter, I let him stand down. He'd occasionally roll up his sleeves to make chili, a pizza or ribs, but nothing adventurous. Then one night, in a fit of creativity, he made this Tuscan-style bruschetta. I'm here to tell you it is delicious. It is simple to do and the only trick is to make sure you serve it while it's still hot. The bruschetta can be assembled several hours before serving, but bake them off just before you want to serve them. I've found that oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes pack quite a flavor punch and this bruschetta is the perfect place to use them. Kudos to my husband for his wonderful creation. Here's the recipe. I want you all to remember that, "no army travels far without its cooks". Even if they could have been Russian language translators or corpsmen.

Bob's Tuscan-Style Bruschetta...from Bob's corner of Mary's kitchen at One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup drained and chopped sundried tomatoes packed in in seasoned oil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
1/2 cup finely sliced scallions (white and tender green)
3 ounces grated Parmesan-Regianno cheese
8 ounces shredded Provolone cheese
24 1/2-inch baguette slices

Directions:
1) Combine sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, scallions, Parmesan and Provolone cheese in a large bowl. Mix well.
2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread cheese mixture over baguette slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden brown. Serve immediately. Yield: 24 bruschetta.