Country Bread and Vegetable Salad

This recipe comes from the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia, PA, and I’ve adapted it only slightly. It’s so delicious and perfect for the early fall when tomatoes, peppers and eggplant can still be had. A crusty day-old loaf works well here and remember this: the better your bread, the better your salad will be. This is a salad to toss together just before serving, but that doesn’t mean you have to make it at the last minute. You can roast the vegetables and leave them in a salad bowl at room temperature. And you can toast the bread cubes and keep them covered on the counter in a separate bowl. Make the dressing and keep that in a third small bowl and then combine it all just before serving.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

4 cups cubed (1 inch) whole-grain country-style bread
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced or sliced
2 plum tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1 small eggplant, diced
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crumbled goat cheese or Parmesan shavings for serving

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, stirring occasionally, until crisp. This should take about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, combine the vegetables, herbs and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large bowl. Toss well to coat the vegetables lightly with herbs and oil and spread the mixture in a single layer on two baking sheets. Roast until the vegetables are cooked through and just starting to brown, 10-15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

4. Combine the toasted bread cubes and roasted vegetables in a large serving bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper; toss to mix well. Serve at once, with crumbled goat cheese or shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese.