Rustic Bread Salad
Italian Bread Salad (Panzanella) with Roasted Bell Peppers and Tomato-Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
red bell peppers (cored and cut into chunks)
4
extra virgin olive oil
6 tbsp
ciabatta or rustic bread (torn into chunks)
150 g
cherry tomatoes (halved)
600 g
small red onion (thinly sliced)
½
basil leaves
a handful
black olives (pitted)
a handful
garlic (crushed)
1 clove
red wine vinegar
4-5 tsp
Instructions
1
Roast the peppers and bread
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Place the peppers in a baking dish, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 30-40 minutes until soft and starting to char. Scatter the bread over the peppers, drizzle with another 2 tbsp oil, and return to the oven for 5 minutes until lightly golden.
2
Extract the tomato juice
Scoop the seeds and pulp of the tomatoes into a sieve set over a bowl. Press with the back of a spoon to extract the juice (if the flesh is firm, pulse briefly in a food processor first to make extraction easier). Discard the pulp.
3
Toss the salad
In a large salad bowl, toss together the roasted peppers, bread, tomatoes, onion, basil, and olives. Make the dressing: whisk the tomato juice with the remaining oil, garlic, and red wine vinegar; the dressing should be tangy but not sharp. Season, then pour the dressing over the salad about 10 minutes before serving, to allow the bread to soften without becoming soggy.
