Canning Bruschetta in a Jar

Always on the lookout for another tomato canning recipe, I found this recipe for "Bruschetta in a Jar" in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and had to give it a try. Bruschetta is an antipasto from Italy whose origin dates to at least the 15th century. It consists of roasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, or cheese; the most popular recipe outside of Italy involves basil, fresh tomato, garlic and onion or mozzarella. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In some countries, a topping of chopped tomato, olive oil and herbs is sold as Bruschetta.

This mixture of fresh tomatoes, spices, vinegars, and white wine can be spooned onto a toasted baguette and garnished with grated cheese and a splash of olive oil for a zesty snack or side dish with an Italian meal.

Here's what I did...

I washed and sterilized my half pint jars and put my lids in hot water to simmer... keeping everything hot until I was ready for them.

In my large, stainless steel sauce pan, I combined...

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

Bring this mixture JUST to a boil, then remove from heat.

Previously I had prepared...
9 cups chopped, peeled, cored tomatoes
... and set them aside.

Tip: Plum tomatoes work better than globe tomatoes, but since all I had were globe tomatoes, I chopped them up and drained them through a colander for 30 minutes before using.

I packed the tomatoes (raw and cold) into my hot half pint jars to within a generous half inch of the top of the jar.

Then I ladled the hot vinegar mixture into the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving a half inch headspace. I removed any air bubbles and adjusted headspace if necessary by adding more vinegar mixture.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth and tightened my hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath... placing the jars in my canner ensuring they were completely covered with water, and bringing the water to a boil and processing for 20 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

Can't wait to have this zesty spread on a toasted baguette or maybe even as a "gourmet" pizza sauce with some mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil... Yumminess in a jar!

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.