Mediterranean Bread Salad with Roasted Roma Tomatoes, Herbs and Red Onions

There's never a bad time to have Tuscany for a theme when you're trying to figure out what to make. This is a very easy thing to put together. It can stand on its own or you can add some homemade soup to the menu or just use it as a side salad for a larger meal.

Recipe (Pictures show doubled version--recipe below will feed four.)

1 pound Italian peasant bread--day old, crusts removed, cut or torn into 1" cubes (about 6 cups)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I refuse to say it like the perky demented food chipmunk Rachel Ray)

3 T red wine vinegar

1 1/2 t Modena Balsamic Vinegar

5 plum tomatoes, roasted

1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin

2 T fresh chopped fresh oregano leaves

2 T rough chopped fresh Italian parsley

4 T rough chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese

salt and fresh ground pepper

olive oil for brushing on tomatoes before roasting

Preheat oven to 400°. Slice Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place cut side up on rimmed baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Roast in oven on middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool on baking sheet. Coarsely chop when cooled a bit. Place in strainer over bowl to remove some of the liquid. Reserve liquid to add to bread if needed when tossing all the ingredients later on.

Place bread cubes in shallow bowl. Mix oil, vinegar and balsamic vinegar in bowl with wisk. Add tomatoes, onion and 2/3 of the herbs. Let stand 1/2 hour for flavors to develop. I use very good Modena Balsamic—a 25 year old musky ambrosia. You don't have to spend $150 for a small bottle, you can get some good stuff for quite a bit less. But getting the real thing makes all the difference in the world

Add tomato marinade to bread along with remaining herbs and toss well. If too dry, add some of the reserved roasted tomato liquid. Season with salt and pepper and add shaved parmesan to top of salad. 

Serve, eat, enjoy and say "mmmmmmmmm."

roasted tomato goodness

fresh oregano, basil and parsley

the spice drawer I made...actually, I made the doors, drawers, cabinets and countertops in my kitchen. I'm handy. Ask my bride. (Yes, yes, the spices are alphabetical. And no, I'm not OCD.)

putting things together

roasted tomato marinade

a small serving used as a side salad. It's really flavorful.

edit: a larger view of my non-OCD-y spice drawer can be seen here.

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