Bread Salad

“When I first saw this recipe, I thought it would be like one of my favorite Middle Eastern salads, Fattoosh.No way!It’s better, in a totally different way.Bursting with Mediterranean flavors, this salad is addictive.I used fresh rosemary and also used a healthy splash of balsamic vinegar.The tiny bit that was left over from my BBQ was taken to work the next day, where I had to carefully guard it in the break room.Yo, Richard, this one rocks!”

“bread salad…we had never had anything like this before, the flavor was incredible. i prepared it exactly as the recipe said, didn’t change a thing. this is something i could serve just for the 2 of us, or when entertaining and doing something a little more fancy, because i think it makes a wonderful impression on people (it did us..lol). i thought it was great. really easy to make too.”

“As Richard’s brother I can say this is one of the best things he brings to one of my cookouts. It is awsome try it.”

“After all the rave reviews, I just had to give this a try. Absolutely magnificent. Unlike any salad I have made before, but I knew we would love the tomatoes and basil. The bread really did not get soggy from the dressing. This was our supper and we certainly give it a resounding 5-stars. Thanks Richard.”

“This is a wonderful recipe, Richard!! The only thing I changed was to omit the hot red pepper flakes, as my family is not a fan of “hot stuff”. I also think I may have “accidentally” added an extra clove of garlic;) This is a wonderful salad that I am sure I will be making again and again!! Thank you!~Manda”

“OK, Richard, this has been sitting in my cookbook for months waiting for the perfect oppurtunity to arise and it did this past weekend.We were invited to a weekend Bar Mitzvah and the last meal was kind of pot luck.I made this salad and it was a big hit.Since it was still the Sabbath and traditional to eat challah, I used challah as the bread in the salad.It turned out great and the bowl was scraped clean on the buffet. Thanks for a great recipe!”

“FABULOUS SALAD!!I made it exactly as stated and I wouldn’t change a thing.This salad is not only very flavorful, but easy to make and something totally out of the ordinary!An unexpected treat for your guests.So glad you shared this dish.:-)”

“This salad is a great summer dish!Try adding a can of tuna and some good greek olives for a more filling flavorfull twist!”

“I am always on the look out for something different and unique. This fits that category. Very delicious salad with exciting and fresh flavors. I added some balsamic vinegar to the dressing. Wonderful recipe Richard, and appreciate your sharing it.”

“Richard, I’ve been making a similar “tomato salad” for years, but always served the bread on the side. I decided to try it with the bread mixed in and it was wonderful! I used two small round loaves of Italian bread which I “hollowed” out….tore up the bread from the middle (followed your recipe), then I put the salad into the “bread bowls” to serve. YUMMMMMMMM!!!Hubby added some diced, fresh mozzerella to his and said it was fantastic! Thanks for posting this new variation to my old favorite.”

“Very nice…very filling…lots of flavor…good one for a potluck.would make again…I added more garlic…cause I like it…bread soaked up the dressing quite well but not soggy.Thanks for posting.Catherine”

“This was great! Very good!”

“Different and a great change from the ordinary pasta salads!I added more dressing to give it an extra punch and added half balsamic half white vinegar.Tastes great!”

“Made this for dinner tonight.It was too hot to cook and this was perfect! Had fresh red and yellow tomatoes from the garden.I used extra basil, balsamic, red wine vinegar, and parm. as suggested.I brushed the slices of bread with olive oil and toasted them to get some crunch.When I took them out I rubbed a cut garlic clove on both sides, then cubed them. Gave the salad a bit of extra garlic “bite”.The dressing soaked in, but they were still a bit crusty.Delicious.A great recipe!”

“We loved this!I made it exactly as written except that I added some little balls of fresh mozzarella (which really didn’t add much.)I’m planning a rendezvous with the left overs around midnight (just in case I don’t have time for breakfast!) Thanks Richard!UPDATE:It was a five star recipe before, but I think it may be off the charts now!Taking a cue from other reviewers, I used dried basil instead of rosemary in the dressing as well as balsamic vinegar and a handful of grated parmesean / Romano cheese blend at the end.But what really kicked this up several notches was Ciabatta bread from the newbakery in town. Oh Mama!!I hope I have enough left to serve at dinner!”

“I made the recipe as written and it is fantastic!Then I played around and add one half cup grated parmesan cheese, substituted 1 tbs. freshly choppedbasil for the rosemary and used Heinz Red Wine Vinegar (which I highly recommend for every day use) in the dressing.Yumbo!Thx. for posting such a versatile and delicious recipe.”

“This was really good. I couldn’t stop eating it! It had a lot of flavor, and there were only a couple of ingredients I needed to buy. This would be a great summer salad with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden.”

“This is delicious!I have made it many times over the past two years and love it.The only reason I don’t make it every week is all the carbs!I have made this as stated but I increase the dressing by half so that it is not too dry for my tastes – maybe my loaf of bread is bigger. I have played with the herbs a few times; it is also great with fresh basil or thyme from my garden.This is not too acidic either, I guess that’s due to the white wine vinegar – a plus in my book. Yum, yum – thanks for posting, Richard-NYC.”

“Simple and delicious. I made mine with balsamic vinegar and skipped the rosemary. I also crushed the garlic and let it soak in the olive oil for several hours to increase the garlicky flavor. Used garden fresh roma tomatoes.”

“From a southerner’s perspective, after years of fried foods and drippingly sweet desserts, salads are the new frontier.Made for Alphabet Soup Tag.”