Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis
This is an Italian bread salad that utilises stale bread as an ingredient – perfect for
sopping up the flavorful ingredients and dressing in the salad.
Serves 6
Ingredients
1/4 cup drained capers
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
340 grams ciabatta or other country-style white bread, 2 to 3 days old
2 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
9 ripe tomatoes, cored and scored on the bottom
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 red capsicums
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
Method
Cut the red capsicums into large pieces and place under a hot grill until the skin is
well blackened. Pop the pieces straight into a container and put the lid on, so that they
continue to cook in their own steam as they cool down.
Soak the capers in 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes. Drain.
Cut the crust off of the bread. Cut into 2-inch slices and grill, drizzling about 2
tablespoons of olive oil on both sides of the bread. Once grilled, cut or tear bread into
1 inch cubes and set aside.
Submerge the tomatoes into a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl of ice water to cool slightly. Using a small sharp paring knife, peel off the tomato skins. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
Take the cooled capsicum pieces out of their container and cut them into strips, then
set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of the olive oil, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and garlic. Season
with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes, and basil; toss to combine.
Transfer half of the bread mixture to a serving dish. Arrange half of the roasted peppers, drained capers, and olives over the bread mixture. Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining roasted peppers, capers, and olives.
Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for flavors to blend, at least 1 hour.
Garnish with the basil sprigs and serve.