Man Salad

On Friday I didn’t even bother having breakfast because I knew I was meeting Jessica and Ingmarie for a lovely lunch.  We are working our way through some of Victoria’s beautiful little eateries and this time we chose Relish!

Relish posts their ever changing, daily menus on Facebook and Twitter so I had already somewhat decided on their Chicken Club with Brie.  As soon as I saw the fresh and amazing buns I knew I’d made the right choice.

The melty brie was a delicious creamy addition.  I was pleasantly full after making my way through the hearty sandwich.

Not too full to share the Hazelnut Orange Brownie with the girls though. :)

On my way home I stopped at The Italian Bakery for a loaf of focaccia.  Somewhere along the way I mentioned Bread Salad to Michael and since he seemed pretty intrigued by it I thought I would make it for him.

Fresh tomatoes from Root Cellar and basil, chives and parsley from my patio planters.

Bread salad (aka: panzanella) is somewhat of a ‘wing it’ recipe but here’s what I did this time…

Ingredients:

• approximately 3/4 loaf focaccia, cubed (day old would be best but I used fresh and it tasted great…perfect texture)
• 4 ripe tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup bocconcini cheese, roughly torn
• fresh herbs: basil, chives, parsley
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• coarse salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350.  Toss the bread cubes with a drizzle of olive oil then spread on baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes until browned and slightly crisped.
• While bread is toasting combine tomatoes, cheese, herbs and seasoning with a liberal drizzle of balsamic and even more liberal drizzle of olive oil.  Let stand.
• Let bread cool until a few minutes before ready to serve.  When ready add bread to tomato mixture, drizzle with more olive oil, then toss to coat everything.  Taste and re-season or add more balsamic if desired.  Let stand a few minutes, then toss again and serve.

While I prepared the bread salad, Michael grilled seasoned chicken breasts and zucchini rounds.  Just a little olive oil and s&p…let the grill do the rest. 

We sat there chatting and picking the last of the bread and cheese out of the salad bowl.  I may have discovered a ‘man salad’. The bread salad could have been a meal in itself as far as Michael was concerned. He liked it so much he suggested I watch Sex and the City while he massaged my feet.

*eye roll*  OK that may be stretching it a bit.  But seriously, make this for your family and I’ll bet they eat it right up.  :)