When life hands you tomatoes…

… you make Tomato Bread Salad.

I actually did make it to the farmers’ market this Saturday, & came home with a bag of dent-&-ding hot-house tomatoes from our favorite vegetable vendors. They were the tomatoes that got bruised or bumped along the way, & needed to be eaten quickly in this heat. The kids at Fitz Produce offered me a big bag at a fantastic price, so who was I to argue? Especially when I knew our basil plants were in desperate need of trimming…

Tomato Bread Salad is one of those beautifully simple dishes that screams SUMMER. Made in winter with mealy tomatoes & vapid basil, it’s thoroughly depressing. But use heirloom tomatoes & herbs cut fresh from the garden & you have something transcendent.

Traditionally, one uses day-old bread that’s gone a bit hard & stale. That… doesn’t happen much in our house, so I dice a fresh chunk of something crusty & par-bake it so it’s a bit crisp. This helps the bread hold its shape once immersed in the juicy tomato mixture.

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Tomato Bread Salad

Makes one large bowl, enough for 3-4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side

1/2 loaf crusty white bread (French/sourdough/sal e olio)

3-4 large, perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes, any color

1 2-3″ ball fresh mozzarella OR 1 c baby bocconcini (plain, not marinated)

A large bunch of fresh basil

Appx 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

Appx 1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salt & pepper to taste

Cut or tear the bread into bite-sized cubes, spread on a sheet pan, & bake at 350F til just starting to color at the very edges. Let cool while you assemble the rest of the salad.

Cut the tomatoes into 3/4-inch cubes & transfer to a large bowl, including any & all juices that may have escaped. Slice the mozzarella 1/4-inch thick & cut into quarters (just quarter the bocconcini if using that) & add to the bowl. De-leaf the basil stems, stacking & thinly slicing the leaves into a fine chiffonade. Add to the tomatoes & cheese along with the remaining ingredients. Toss gently to combine. Let marinate at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then taste for seasonings. About 5 minutes before serving, fold in the crispy bread pieces & let the bowl sit so the bread starts to absorb the juices. Revel in the crispy, chewy, juicy, garlicky awesomeness.

Honestly, we eat huge bowls of Tomato Bread Salad as our main course, but it makes a lovely side dish, as well. When our multi-colored heirloom tomatoes are coming in hand over fist, we’ll make this nearly every week. Meanwhile, this first batch was a delightful preview of summer…

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