Grilled Bread Salad With Tomatoes And Parmigiano Food

TUSCAN TOMATO & BREAD SALAD

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.

GRILLED BREAD (PANE ALLA GRILLIA)

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Slice ciabatta in half lengthwise. Then cut each half into 1-inch slices. In batches as needed, grill the ciabatta slices, cut side down until they are golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Working quickly, drizzle the toasted sides with extra-virgin olive oil. Rub the garlic cloves over the grilled bread, then rub the cut side of the tomatoes over the grilled bread. It's important to do this while the bread is still hot or warm, otherwise the garlic won't melt into the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

GRILLED BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• With MINIMAL Effort:
• Before grilling rub the bread, with a cut clove of garlic and/or brush it with some olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
• Add to the salad 1/4 cup chopped olives, 1 tablespoon capers, and/or 2 minced anchovy fillets.
• For a one-dish meal, grill or broil some shrimp or boneless chicken alongside the bread, then add the chunks to the salad. Or add some leftover or canned tuna (the Italian kind, packed in olive oil) to the mix.
• Start a gas or charcoal grill or preheat the broiler; the rack should be 4 to 6 inches from the heat source. Cut the bread lengthwise into quarters. Grill or broil the bread, watching carefully and turning as each side browns and chars slightly; total time will be less than 10 minutes.
• While the bread cools, mix together the next five ingredients in a large bowl. Mash the tomatoes with the back of a fork to release all of their juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the bread into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes (no larger) and toss it with the dressing.
• Let the bread sit for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing occasionally and tasting a piece every now and then. The salad is at its peak when the bread is fairly soft but some edges remain crisp, but you can serve it before or after it reaches that state. When it's ready, stir in the herb and serve.
• With MINIMAL Effort:
• Bread salad is a way of making good use of stale bread. The bread is softened, usually with water, olive oil, lemon juice, or a combination, then tossed with tomatoes and a variety of seasonings. Like many old-fashioned preparations created as a way to salvage food before it goes bad (count pickles and jam among these), bread salad has an appeal of its own. This is especially true in the summer, when good tomatoes are plentiful and may lead to the rather unusual problem of waiting around for bread to become stale.
• Or, of course, making it stale. I'd always solved this problem by drying bread in the oven until I realized that using the grill or broiler would not only dry the bread more quickly but, by charring the edges slightly, add another dimension of flavor to the salad. This procedure is really the same as making toast--exposing the bread to direct heat (rather than the indirect heat of the oven) to brown it as well as dry it. There's another benefit to grilling the bread in order to dry it out: The added flavor makes it possible to strip the salad to its bare minimum.
• This is a substantial salad, but it's still a side dish unless you're in the mood for a very light meal. Because it's juicy, almost saucy, and pleasantly acidic, this salad makes a nice accompaniment to simple grilled meat or poultry, and has a special affinity for dark fish such as tuna and swordfish.
• The only tricks here involve timing. You must watch the bread carefully as you grill or broil it; a slight char is good, but it's a short step from there to burned bread. And the time you allow the bread to soften after tossing it with the seasonings varies some; keep tasting until the texture pleases you. If your tomatoes are on the dry side, you might add a little extra liquid, in the form of more olive oil and lemon juice, or a light sprinkling of water.

GRILLED BREAD SALAD WITH TOMATOES AND PARMIGIANO

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot gas or charcoal grill. Brush the bread with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and grill until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Rub the cut side of the garlic lightly across both sides of the bread and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let cool slightly, then tear into bite-size chunks.
• Combine the vinegar, shallot, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, a few good pinches of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes and basil leaves and toss gently to coat. Add the bread, toss gently again (use your hands for best results), and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to make shards out of the Parmigiano.
• When you're ready to serve, toss in the arugula and about two-thirds of the Parmigiano. Taste the salad and add more salt, vinegar, or olive oil as needed.
• Garnish with the remaining Parmigiano and lots of black pepper.

GRILLED BREAD AND TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. When it's about half melted, throw in the garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the garlic to take on a little bit of color. Remove from the heat and brush this mixture on both sides of each slice of bread.
• 2. Oil the grill racks. Preheat your grill using all burners set on high and with the lid closed for 10 to 12 minutes.
• 3. Place the bread on the grill, close the lid, and cook, turning once, until well marked. Careful here; depending on the moisture content of the bread, this could happen as quickly as 2 minutes (or about 1 minute on each side), but it usually takes about 4 minutes. Place the tomatoes on the grill, close the lid, and cook for a few minutes per side.
• 4. Remove the bread to a cutting board, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, herbs, salt, and pepper. Toss gently with your hands to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings if you desire. Serve at room temperature.

GRILLED STEAK PANZANELLA SALAD WITH TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Whisk balsamic vinegar, 3 Tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Finely grate 2 garlic cloves and whisk into marinade. Place steak in a resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over steak, toss to coat, then let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, toss tomatoes and 1 tsp. kosher salt in a colander set over a large bowl; let rest 1 hour.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat or heat grill pan over medium-high; lightly oil grate or pan. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry. Grill steaks, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 125°F, 8-10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.
• Brush zucchini with oil; season with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until zucchini is charred and tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill bread alongside zucchini, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer zucchini and bread to cutting board. Let cool slightly. Slice zucchini into 1/4"-thick half moons. Crush remaining garlic clove and rub all over bread. Cut bread into 1" cubes.
• Shake colander to thoroughly drain tomatoes, reserving liquid in bowl. Add mustard, white wine vinegar, and remaining 1/4 cup oil and 1/2 tsp. pepper to bowl with tomato liquid and whisk to combine. Add kale and zucchini and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, bread, and basil and toss just to combine. Top with steak and sprinkle with sea salt.
• Do Ahead
• Steak can be marinated 10 hours ahead; chill in bag. Let steak come to room temperature at least 1 hour before cooking.

TOMATO AND GRILLED-BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium. Brush bread slices on both sides with 2 tablespoons oil. Grill until lightly charred on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut into large cubes.
• In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with tomatoes, cucumber, and basil. Drizzle with vinegar and remaining 1/4 cup oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and serve.

TOMATO AND BREAD SALAD WITH RED ONION

Steps:

• Pour vinegar into small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Place bread in large bowl. Pour in enough cold water (about 8 cups) to cover bread. Soak 5 minutes. Drain well; squeeze bread to remove as much liquid as possible. Coarsely crumble bread into same bowl. Add tomatoes, onion and basil. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season salad generously with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before serving.)

BREAD AND TOMATO SALAD

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.

JUICY TOMATOES WITH PARMESAN-OLIVE BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice larger tomatoes into ½-inch rounds or wedges, and cut smaller tomatoes in half and spread out on a serving platter or individual plates. Season them generously with salt and also black pepper, if you'd like.
• Tear the bread into small, 1-inch pieces, then pulse in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs.
• In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, olives, zest, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes, if using. Finely grate the garlic into the bowl then add 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss everything together very well.
• Transfer the bread-crumb mixture to a sheet pan and place on a middle rack in the oven. Toast, stirring two or three times, until the crumbs are golden brown, the olives have shriveled slightly and your kitchen starts to smell a little like a pizzeria, 17 to 23 minutes. Let cool completely.
• To serve, drizzle the tomatoes with the vinegar followed by the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Just before you're ready to serve, sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the top.