Middle Eastern Bread Salad
Ingredients
- 7 mixed peppers large
- 450 g sourdough bread
- olive oil for drizzling
- 750 g cherry tomatoes
- 1 cucumber small
- 1 red onion small
- 6 radishes
- 1 large handful fresh coriander
- 1 large handful fresh parsley
- 225 g black olives pitted
For the dressing:
- 4½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon small
- 2 clove garlic small
- 1½ tsp cumin seeds toasted
- 1½ tsp sumac
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
Equipment
Baking tray
Cling film
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Large bowl
Tongs
Whisk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 ̊C (180°C fan). Place the peppers on a large flat baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until blackened and charred on all sides.
- Remove the peppers from the tray while still hot, place in a bowl and cover with cling film. The steam in the bowl will allow you to remove the skins easily.
- When cool enough to handle, remove the skins and cores of the peppers.
- Slice the peeled peppers into chunky pieces.
- Place a small handful of the peppers in a food processor with the ingredients for the dressing and blitz until smooth. Season to taste, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Tear the bread into pieces and lay out on the same baking tray that you cooked the peppers on, drizzle with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 5–6 minutes until just toasted.
- Prep the salad ingredients: slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Deseed and dice the cucumber.
- Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Thinly slice the radishes.
- In a large bowl, place the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and radishes. Tear in the coriander and parsley.
- Add the peppers, toasted bread and olives. Toss together with the dressing.
- Toss until completely coated and serve.
Notes
If ever there was a summer salad to impress, this would be it. Humble though its ingredients are, they are used in such a way as to make the very most of them. Like many bread salads, this one finds its origins in peasant food but makes a hearty dish humming with spice and flavour. Sprinkle with a little extra sumac before serving for a sharp hit of citrus. You could also replace the sourdough with toasted pitta.
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcal