Saturday, September 29, 2012

Calabrian Bread Salad



I think that this is the best thing I had to eat all summer--it's that delicious. I did a few things differently: I used red bell pepper instead of green, I left off the basil, I left the crust on the bread, and I added a handful of chickpeas. All in all--food bliss.

The recipe is from Cooking with Italian Grandmothers.

Calabrian Bread Salad
1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onions
1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (15 minute maceration)
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon very finely diced fresh hot red pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/3 pound crustless artisan sourdough bread (about 1/2 loaf)
1 large garlic clove, peeled
a small handful of fresh basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 450F.

Mix the onions and the vinegar together in a large bowl. Set aside to macerate 10-20 minutes, to soften the pungency of the onions. While the onions are macerating, prepare the other ingredients for the bread salad.

Wash the cherry tomatoes, and slice them lengthwise into quarters. Wash the green pepper, and de-stem and seed it. Tear the green pepper into very small bite-sized pieces. Add the tomatoes, green pepper, and diced hot pepper, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt to the onion mixture. Stir to combine.

Tear the bread into 1-inch cubes, and toss it with the clove of garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until lightly browned and crunchy on the outside, 15 to 25 minutes. Remove the clove of garlic and let the bread cool slightly before mixing with the salad.

Ten to fifteen minutes before serving, add the bread and a small handful of torn basil to the vegetable mixture. The bread will absorb some of the juices from the vegetables, allowing it to slightly soften, creating a crunchy-chewy texture.

2 comments:

  1. This sounds delicious! I recently ordered a bread salad at a restaurant and it was 99% bread. I was expecting some veggies too!

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  2. This looks awesome! Definitely have to make it next time you come to visit!

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