Featured Recipe Mid Summer Italian Bread Salad Recipes

PANZANELLA (ITALIAN TOMATO AND BREAD SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F (160°C fan).
• Toss bread chunks with 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl.
• Toast: Spread bread on a a tray and toast for about 15 minutes, until the outside is becoming golden and crunchy but the inside is still a little soft, like toast. Remove and leave to cool.
• Cut tomato into 8 wedges each. Cut some of these wedges into half (I like irregular shapes for this rustic salad).
• Sweat tomato with salt: Put tomatoes into a colander over a large bowl. Season with the salt, toss and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out the juices. RESERVE the tomato juice in the bowl for the dressing.
• Cut cucumber into any shaped chunks aroun 2.5cm / 1" pieces. Again, I like to do irregular but even-sized shapes.
• Toss veg: Place tomato sweating in colander into large bowl. Add cucumber and basil, toss gently.
• Tomato Dressing: Add Dressing ingredients into bowl holding the tomato juice, whisk well.
• Dress salad: Add bread to salad, pour over dressing. Give it a light toss.
• Rest then serve: Leave for 5 minutes to let the juices soak into the bread, tossing once or twice. Toss once more just before serving!

ITALIAN BREAD SALAD WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place bread cubes in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix oil, garlic and pepper; drizzle 3 tablespoons over bread and toss to coat. Reserve remaining oil mixture. Spread in a single layer on two 15x10x1-in. baking pans., Bake until crisp and light brown, 12-18 minutes, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, whisk vinegar and salt into reserved oil mixture. Add tomatoes, olives and herbs; toss to coat., Cool bread cubes slightly. Add to tomato mixture; toss to combine. Sprinkle with cheese; serve immediately.

PANZANELLA (ITALIAN BREAD SALAD)

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and basil.
• Drizzle with the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 3 tblsps vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
• Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl.
• Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread.
• Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
• If the bread seems dry, add a little oil or vinegar.
• Serve immediately.

ITALIAN BREAD SALAD (PANZANELLA)

Steps:

• If your bread is very hard, douse it with water first and saw it into a few pieces that will fit into a medium bowl. Cover with the onions. Pour on cold water to cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Lift the onions off the bread and rinse in a strainer. Drain the bread, squeeze out excess water and crumble the bread into a salad bowl.
• Add the tomatoes, basil, and parsley to the bowl. Mix together the vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and toss with the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer before serving.

SIMPLE ITALIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. For croutons, spritz bread cubes with butter-flavored spray; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder; toss to coat evenly. , Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cool. , Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine romaine, tomatoes, olives, Parmesan cheese, onion and pepperoncini. Drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Top with croutons.

FEATURED RECIPE: MID-SUMMER ITALIAN BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Rub a peeled clove of garlic around a wooden salad bowl. Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces. In the prepared salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, basil and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve.