Warm Bread Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Cut the top third of the bread off and set the parts aside, uncovered, for several hours or overnight. When the bread is somewhat stale, use your hands or a spoon to scrape the bread away from the crusts. Set the larger bottom crusts aside and rip the top crusts into small pieces. Place the pieces, along with the interior bread, in a large bowl and add 2 cups of the stock. Sprinkle the remaining cup of stock over the bread-crust bowls. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender (do not let them brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken livers and continue to cook until they are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the sherry vinegar and currants to the pan with the livers and cook until the vinegar just evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the soaked bread, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• Dice the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and dot inside the bottom of the bread bowls with it. Spoon the mixture into the bowls, packing it in and mounding it. Cover the bowls with foil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, or until they are warmed through. Slice into wedges and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tossbread with oil and a pinch of salt.Spread onto a baking sheet,and bake until golden brown andcrisp, about 15 minutes.
• Combine endives, radicchio,lettuce, and frisee in a bowl. Addhazelnuts, bacon, and croutons.Drizzle with half the vinaigrette,and toss well to combine.Add remaining vinaigrette asdesired. Season with salt andpepper. Garnish with cheese.

Steps:

• Place currants in a small dish, add red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon warm water, and set aside. Heat broiler. Place pine nuts in small baking dish, and toast under broiler until very lightly colored. Set aside.
• Cut bread into three or four large chunks. Closely trim off most of the crust and reserve, if desired, to toast and use for bread crumbs or to float in soup. Brush bread all over with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Briefly broil bread chunks, turning until crisp and golden on surface. Remove from oven, trim off any charred tips, and tear chunks into irregular pieces, from 2-inch wads to large crumbs. You should have 4 cups. Place in wide metal, glass or ceramic salad bowl.
• Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil with 1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons of this dressing over bread and toss.
• Place one tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet. Add garlic and scallions, and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until softened but not colored. Add to bread and fold in. Drain currants and fold in. Add pine nuts and fold in. Drizzle salad with stock or water, and fold in. Taste a couple of pieces of bread. Add a little more vinegar, salt and pepper if necessary. Toss well, and transfer to a 4-cup baking dish. Tent lightly with foil. Do not wash salad bowl. Set salad aside until about 30 minutes before serving time.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place bread salad in oven, turn off heat, and leave for 15 minutes. Return salad to bowl. Add greens, remaining vinaigrette, and enough of remaining olive oil so bread is not dry. Toss again. Serve with grilled or roasted meat.

Steps:

• Toss 5 cups torn stale bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F, 5 minutes. Toss 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 3 garlic cloves, 2 halved, seeded Italian frying peppers and 2 tablespoons olive oil on another baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes; chop. Toss with the bread, 1/2 cup each chopped basil and grated parmesan, 1/4 cup chopped olives, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:

• Rub a peeled clove of garlic around a wooden salad bowl.
• Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces.
• In the prepared salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, basil and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve.

Steps:

• Sauteed radicchio, fennel and carrots are topped with chicken, walnuts and Gorgonzola in this warm and hearty main-dish salad. Serve with crusty whole-grain baguette.;
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pears and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Whisk shallots, vinegar and mustard in a small bowl; add to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add turkey (or chicken), radicchio, fennel, carrots and walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Return the pears to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide lettuce leaves among 4 plates. Top with the warm salad and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 2 Variation: Halve the ingredients and prepare the recipe in a large nonstick skillet instead of a Dutch oven.
• NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 384 calories; 15 g fat (4 g sat, 6 g mono); 83 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 9 g fiber; 548 mg sodium; 1,284 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (160% daily value), Vitamin C (45% dv), Potassium (37% dv), Folate (31% dv), Calcium & Iron (20% dv). 1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 2 fat
• TIP: Tips: To poach chicken breasts, place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan. Add lightly salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Place chopped walnuts in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
• From www.eatingwell.com with permission. 2009 Eating Well Inc. Photo by Ken Burris

Steps:

• Combine chicken and 1/4 cup oil in large bowl. Add garlic, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 5 teaspoons cumin, and lemon peel. Rub mixture into chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine remaining 6 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cumin, pita bread, parsley, tomatoes, green onions, and 1/2 cup mint in large bowl. Season salad with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate while cooking chicken.
• Transfer chicken from marinade to rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle with salt. Bake chicken 10 minutes; turn over and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Place chicken on cutting board; slice each breast crosswise into 5 pieces. Arrange salad on large platter. Place chicken atop salad; pour any drippings from baking sheet over chicken. Garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons mint.

Steps:

• Seasoning the chicken (1 to 3 days before serving; for 3-1/4- to 3-1/2-pound chickens, at least 2 days):
• Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thorough-a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.
• Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.
• Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and the pepper (we use 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound of chicken). Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity, on the backbone, but don't otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.
• Starting the bread salad (up to several hours in advance):
• Preheat the broiler. Cut the bread into a couple of large chunks. Carve off all of the bottom crust and most of the top and side crust (reserve the top and side crusts to use as croûtons in salads or soups). Brush the bread all over with olive oil. Broil very briefly, to crisp and lightly color the surface. Turn the bread chunks over and crisp the other side. Trim off any badly charred tips, then tear the chunks into a combination of irregular 2- to 3-inch wads, bite-sized bits, and fat crumbs. You should get about 4 cups.
• Combine about 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the Champagne or white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss about 1/4 cup of this tart vinaigrette with the torn bread in a wide salad bowl; the bread will be unevenly dressed. Taste one of the more saturated pieces. If it is bland, add a little salt and pepper and toss again. Place the currants in a small bowl and moisten with the red wine vinegar and warm water. Set aside.
• Roasting the chicken and assembling the salad:
• Preheat the oven to 475°F. (Depending on the size, efficiency, and accuracy of your oven, and the size of your bird, you may need to adjust the heat to as high as 500°F or as low as 450°F during the course of roasting the chicken to get it to brown properly. If that proves to be the case, begin at that temperature the next time you roast a chicken. If you have a convection function on your oven, use it for the first 30 minutes; it will enhance browning, and may reduce overall cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes.)
• Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle. Place in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn't, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over (drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking). Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to an hour.
• While the chicken is roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish and set in the hot oven for a minute or two, just to warm through. Add them to the bowl of bread.
• Place a spoonful of the olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until softened. Don't let them color. Scrape into the bread and fold to combine. Drain the plumped currants and fold in. Dribble the chicken stock or lightly salted water over the salad and fold again. Taste a few pieces of bread-a fairly saturated one and a dryish one. If it is bland, add salt, pepper, and/or a few drops of vinegar, then toss well. Since the basic character of bread salad depends on the bread you use, these adjustments can be essential. Pile the bread salad in a 1-quart baking dish and tent with foil; set the salad bowl aside. Place the salad in the oven after you flip the chicken the final time.
• Finishing and serving the chicken and bread salad:
• Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Leave the bread salad to continue warming for another 5 minutes or so. Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it. Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. Set the chicken in a warm spot (which may be your stovetop), and leave to rest while you finish the bread salad. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.
• Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two. Tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to soften any hard golden drippings. Taste-the juices will be extremely flavorful.
• Tip the bread salad into the salad bowl. (It will be steamy-hot, a mixture of soft, moist wads, crispy-on-the-outside-but-moist-in-the-middle wads, and a few downright crispy ones.) Drizzle and toss with a spoonful of the pan juices. Add the greens, a drizzle of vinaigrette, and fold well. Taste again.
• Cut the chicken into pieces, spread the bread salad on the warm platter, and nestle the chicken in the salad.

Steps:

• Place oven rack at lowest level and preheat oven to 450.
• Toss bread cubes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Place bread in 8 inch baking dish and set aside.
• Dry chicken with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until hot. Place chicken in skillet, skin side down, and saute until skin is deep golden color, about 5 minutes.
• Place chicken, skin side up, on bread cubes in baking dish and bake until the thickest part of the breast is 160-165 degrees and the bread is spotty brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Take care, don't overcook the breasts!
• Transfer chicken to cutting board. When chicken is cool enough, take meat off bones and cut into pieces similar in size to bread cubes. Throw away the bones.
• While chicken is baking, pour off fat in skillet, add the last tablespoon of oil, the garlic and thyme, and cook for a moment until the garlic is fragrant. Add broth and scrape up any brown bits from skillet. Cook until thickened slightly, stir in vinegar, cover, and take off the heat.
• Toss bread cubes in a bowl with most of dressing mixture in skillet - reserve 2 tablespoons - add chicken and any juices from it. Then add arugula, tomato, pine nuts and the remaining dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste - remember, the cheese will add some salty taste. Toss a final time. Garnish with Parmesan shavings and serve.
• (To gild the lilly a bit, you can add what Lydia Bastianich calls a final "blessing" of extra virgin olive oil. Or, put that on the table. Some will find it fine without.).
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas6.
• Leave the eggs in their shells at this point (you will need to poach them later on).
• Shave the parmesan with a vegetable peeler and put to one side.
• Peel and slice the garlic.
• Remove the crusts from the ciabatta and discard. Tear the bread into finger sized pieces.
• Put them on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil and toss with the garlic and seasoning.
• Bake for 10 minutes until the bread is crisp.
• Lay the pancetta over the bread and bake for about 5 more minutes - until that's also crispy.
• Mix the lemon juice with 8 tablespoons of olive oil and season.
• Put a big pan of unsalted water on to boil.
• In a large bowl, toss the salad leaves, pancetta, bread and the dressing together.
• Divide between 4 plates.
• When the pan is simmering, gently crack the 4 eggs into the simmering water to poach.
• Simmer for 4 minutes if you like a soft egg, or to your liking.
• Place an egg on top of each salad and add the parmesan shavings.
• Serve straight away - Don't let the eggs get cold!