Author Notes
This Italian bread salad is a good way to use up day (or even two-day) old bread. Make sure to ask your local farmer about their practices and method to deal with late blight. Personally, it's worth it to spend a little more to ensure chemical-free tomatoes (I found some for only $2.50 a pound at Alex Farms, a vendor at the Carroll Gardens' Greenmarket). —Jennifer Perillo
Ingredients
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4
1/2-inch thick slices of stale ciabatta or other stale crusty bread
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3
medium-large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
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3 ounces
fresh mozzarella, diced
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1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil
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1 1/2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
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Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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handful of fresh basil leaves
Directions
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Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut bread into cubes and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted and golden, about 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, add tomatoes and mozzarella to a medium bowl. Pour in oil and vinegar and toss to coat well. Season with salt and pepper. Tear basil leaves (or slice into a chiffonade if you want to show off your knife skills) and toss with tomato mixture. Let sit 10 minutes to release juices and let flavors marinate.
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Add bread cubes to the tomato salad. Toss well and let stand to soak up juices, just a minute or two tops. Evenly divide onto four plates and serve immediately.
Jennifer Perillo is the Consulting Food Editor at Working Mother magazine, and a regular a contributor to Relish Magazine and FoodNetwork.com. She shares stories about food, family and life at her blog In Jennie's Kitchen and in her debut cookbook, Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen (Running Press 2013).
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