Bread Salad

From The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook by Tracey Medeiros and Christy Colasurdo (The Countryman Press, June 2015).

This recipe serves six.

Croutons

  • 1/2 loaf of day-old country bread (about 9 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
  • 1 dried Thai chile pepper, crushed
  • Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Dressing (makes 1 1/2 cups)

  • Zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 8 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 Tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Salad

  • 1 (8-ounce) bag salad greens, such as mesclun
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cucumber, skinned, seeded, and cut into 1/3-inch-thick half-moons
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

  • To make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, butter, and chile pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread out the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
  • To make the dressing: In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, anchovies, and garlic. Whisking vigorously, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the salad greens, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and croutons and toss with 1/2 cup of the dressing, or to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Top with the Parmesan cheese and serve.
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