Do you remember when I told you my sister is a chef?
Well, I talked her into coming to my house to cook so I could blog about some of the dishes she serves at her restaurant.
First up…
This is what you need: balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, one clove of garlic, cherry tomatoes, small red onion, day old loaf of French or sourdough bread, cucumber, thyme, oregano and fresh parmesan cheese.
Now cut up your bread into small crouton size pieces and place on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Don’t be afraid of the olive oil…the bread will suck it up!
Place the bread in a 400 degree oven and toast until it looks about like this.
Now about your tomatoes. We used grape tomatoes. However, Meg suggests using gem or small heirloom tomatoes if you can find them.
Nevertheless, slice your baby tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Try and cut each into even sized chunks. Place into bowl with toasted bread.
Now it’s time to make the vinaigrette. Mix 1 cup olive oil to 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar…a 2:1 ratio. It’s best if you stream the olive oil in slowly while using a whisk so that the vinaigrette emulsifies properly. Add in some salt, pepper and a clove of garlic.
Pour that yummy dressing all over the salad. I went for a spoon for Meg to mix but she prefers the mixers God gave her…hands!
Grate a little fresh parmesan cheese on top and your done!
Since you toasted those bread pieces up pretty dark you can mix the salad a couple hours ahead of time, pop it in the fridge and not have to worry about it getting soggy.
Stay tuned…we also have a homemade pasta and palette cleansing dessert to share!