Johnson Recipe: Tomato Bread Salad

Two salads were needed this night.

Cincinnati chili would be the obvious choice for a recipe to represent our time in the Ohio/Northern Kentucky region, but I already have a chili recipe I love. I thought about making (Ohio) Buckeyes, chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls, but I feared I would eat them all.

Since our trip here was more about the people than the place, no recipe better represents our time together than the Tomato Bread Salad. Pretty much any time Johnsons get together to eat, a Tomato Bread Salad is made. Sometimes two, as it disappears quickly.  It's tangy, crunchy, garlicky, cheesy, and all around wonderful.

He'd make a Tomato Bread Salad, apparently.

I believe Brad's mom, Sharon, was the one to find this recipe first and introduce the rest of us to it, for which we are all eternally grateful. You may notice the recipe maker is listed as Brian Boitano. Yes, that Brian Boitano, the ice skater. He had a short-lived cooking show on the Food Network, and this recipe was a feature. Don't question it. Just make it!

As usual, the full recipe follows the pictures below or you can download a PDF of the recipe to save or print here.

Tomato Bread Salad

Recipe courtesy of Brian Boitano

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/4 cup

3 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 pints red and yellow, grape and pear tomatoes, sliced in 1/2

1 cup halved, sliced kalamata olives

1/2 pound perlini mozzarella

8 basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook to infuse the butter and oil with the garlic, about 4 minutes.

3. Add the cubed bread to a large bowl, pour the butter and garlic mixture over the bread and toss to coat. Transfer to a sheet tray and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

4. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining olive oil and red wine vinegar and set aside.

5. In a large serving bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, croutons, basil, and the oil and vinegar mixture. Gently toss to coat all the tomatoes and croutons. Let the salad sit for 10 minutes before serving.