Restaurant Recipe: Loring Pasta Bar's Ciabatta Bruschetta

Photo by Jeffrey Austin.

Looking to break your New Year's weight loss resolution with "the Loring original thigh and butt plumping manna"? We won't be held as accomplices.

Loring's manager, Abby Keul, is tight-lipped about the top-secret recipe for Artichoke Ramekin. Keul, however, shares the recipe for a close second with nothing second-rate about it: the mouth-watering ciabatta bruschetta.

Plus, the lighter recipe will make maintaining your resolve a bit easier, as long as you can also maintain your self-control. And with a recipe this fresh, there's no guarantee.

Loring Pasta Bar's Ciabatta Bruschetta - serves 5-6

What you'll need:

1 loaf ciabatta bread
Olive oil
1 cup fresh mozzarella, finely shredded
3 red tomatoes, diced
3 golden tomatoes, diced
1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. Butter

What you'll do:

Cut the bread into ½-inch slices. Toast until golden brown. (Drizzling a little olive oil on both sides and baking at 350 degrees F for a few minutes on each side should do the trick.)

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on the toasted slices.

Mix together the diced tomatoes and chopped roasted red peppers. (Keul says the golden tomatoes help add color and the amount of peppers is adjustable.) Spoon the vegetable mixture liberally onto cheese-covered ciabatta.

Sprinkle chopped basil atop the vegetable mixture.

Create a balsamic reduction by boiling the vinegar in a skillet over high heat and then allowing it to simmer until reduced by half. Whisk in butter until melted.

Drizzle the reduction on top, season with salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Don't feel much like cooking? Stop by Loring Pasta Bar to enjoy it with friends at lunch, $7, or dinner, $8. And if you're splitting it, what harm can adding a little artichoke dip do?

Loring Pasta Bar opens for lunch/dinner at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, at noon on Saturday, and at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. It also offers Sunday brunch. It is located at 327 14th Ave. SE and can be reached by phone at 612.378.4849.