Tuscan Bread Salad With Fresh Mozzarella And Basil Recipes

Steps:

• Place the tomatoes and mozzarella in a large bowl. Put the garlic, mustard, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 1-cup glass measuring cup and slowly whisk in the 1/2 cup of olive oil. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan until hot but not smoking. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Saute over medium to medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the bread is evenly browned and crisp. Add the warm bread to the tomatoes and mozzarella. Add enough of the vinaigrette to moisten all the ingredients. Add the basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss carefully, adding more vinaigrette if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and toast until the bread is completely dry but not browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and gently toss until thoroughly combined. Let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Steps:

• 1. To make the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, mustard, shallots, thyme, and garlic in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil in a steady stream until the dressing emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. 2. Fire up the grill. Liberally brush both sides of the bread with oil. Grill the bread on both sides until golden and nicely marked by the grill. Remove the bread from the heat and use a serrated knife to cut the bread into bit-size cubes. Put the bread in a serving bowl with the olives, tomatoes, mozzarella, and greens. Whisk the pesto or basil leaves into the vinaigrette. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well. There should be enough vinaigrette to soak into the bread, but the salad greens should not be drenched - use a little more or less vinaigrette as needed. On the plate Divide the salad among 4 plates. Scatter the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts over the top of each salad and garnish each salad with a lemon wedge. Pass a pepper grinder at the table. A step ahead The vinaigrette can be prepared and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to a week ahead. Whisk well before using. Process the basil, pine nuts, garlic and lemon juice together in a food processor until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil though the feed tube and process until well combined. Season with salt to taste. Use the pesto the same day or freeze for the best color. Notes There's no Parmesan in this pesto because there's already freshly grated cheese in the Tuscan bread salad. You can add a few tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan to the pesto if using it in another dish. Since the bread salad calls for only a tablespoon of pesto, make a batch anytime, divide it up into small portions, and freeze them, thawing only what you need. A handy way to do this is to spoon the pesto into a plastic ice cube tray, freeze, and then store the cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer until ready to use.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and a pinch of salt. Bake until they are dried out and pale golden brown at the edges, about 7 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
• Cut tomatoes into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add mozzarella, onions, garlic paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar, oregano or thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes if using. Toss to coat and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, the mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some black pepper to taste. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil until the mixture is thickened. Stir in cucumbers, basil and parsley.
• Add bread cubes, cucumber mixture and capers to the tomatoes and toss well. Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving. Toss with a little more olive oil, vinegar and salt if needed just before serving.

Steps:

• Toast bread slices under broiler for about 4 minutes on each side.
• Remove slices and rub with garlic cloves.
• Prepare dressing by whisking ingredients together in a small bowl, and seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Cut bread slices into small cubes and add them to a serving bowl.
• Next add the tomatoes, beans, roasted pepper and basil.
• Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
• Let salad rest about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and basil.
• Drizzle with the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 3 tblsps vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
• Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl.
• Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread.
• Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
• If the bread seems dry, add a little oil or vinegar.
• Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, basil and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients; drizzle over bread mixture. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette, will store in the fridge up to a week. Bring to room temperature and whisk before using.
• For the salad: 4 slices rustic bread, 1 inch thick extra virgin olive oil 24 oil-cured black olives, pits removed 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced or cubed 4 cups loosely packed flavorful salad greens, such as mache, radicchio, arugula, spinach, romaine, endive, washed and dried, torn into bite size pieces 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 4 lemon wedges Freshly ground black pepper
• Liberally, oil the slices of bread then grill on the grill or under the broiler until golden. Remove and use a serrated knife to cut the bread into bite size cubes. In the serving bowl, put the bread in with the olives, tomatoes, mozzarella and greens. Mix the basil into the vinaigrette. Pour it over the salad and mix well. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Scatter with Parmesan and pine nuts and garnish with a lemon wedge. Offer ground pepper at the table.