Friday, August 8, 2008

BLT Bread Salad

I love a good BLT especially when tomatoes are in season & at their sweetest. The problem is the only tomatoes that I have ripe right now are cherry tomatoes. They certainly are sweet but its awful hard to get those little guys to stay put on a sandwich. So, I decided why not turn it into a bread salad.
BLT Bread Salad
Ok, this isn't an exact representation of a BLT sandwich. To start with, there is no mayo in this. Also I added a few things extra like cucumbers, red onion & basil. Still, the important components are there, bacon, lettuce & tomato. What really matters is how good this salad tasted, with the bacony, vinegar dressing soaked into the pieces of dried bread, the sweetness of tomatoes right from the vine & the bite of a red onion. A salad that is light enough for a summer evening but still fills you up.

This is one of those recipes where you can really use what you have & leave out what you don't. No cucumbers, leave them out. Got some fresh mozzarella, throw it in. I would say the most important pieces are the bacon, tomatoes & bread, of course.

BLT Bread Salad

3 - 4 c stale bread, cut into bite-sized cubes (A crusty bread really works best)
(Don't have stale bread? Cube your bread & throw it in the oven at 250 F for a few minutes)
6 slices bacon, chopped into large pieces
1 1/2 c sweet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small cucumber, chopped
2 slices red onion, chopped
1 c salad greens
6 - 12 large basil leaves
olive oil
2 t red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper

Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until just getting crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Set aside the bacon fat in the pan to use in the dressing.

In a large bowl toss together bread cubes (if you toasted them make sure they have cooled), tomatoes, cucumber, onion, salad greens, basil & bacon.

Measure out reserved bacon fat & add enough olive oil to it to make 1/3 cup. In a small bowl whisk the oil/bacon fat mixture together with the vinegar & garlic. Salt & pepper to taste, a liberal amount of pepper tastes good here.

Pour the dressing over the salad & toss to cover everything. Let the salad sit for 15 to 30 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the dressing.

Serves 2

12 comments:

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I love the sound of this salad - blt is my fave sandwich so Im going to have to give this a go

Deborah said...

I don't know how you do it - you are constantly cooking!! This sounds very good, especially to eat in the hot weather!

Thistlemoon said...

I totally love this concept! Turning sandwiches on their heads!

Scribbit said...

Looks very tasty--soups, salads and sandwiches are very popular here, they're so easy and good (usually good for you too).

Leslie said...

That is one mighty fine salad! I love any salad with bacon in it! Not a big fan of raw onions..but it still looks wonderous!!!!
And on your comment on my Lemon Loaf..it was seriously like biting into a wet sponge..but it was still delicious!!!

Unknown said...

Hi! Just found you through foodbuzz. Love your photography -- and this salad looks amazing. Also, thanks for sharing your CSA box. I'm doing a half-share in Chicago this year which I've really enjoyed but yours looks positively robust! I'm jealous!

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious! It is funny because my husband was just talking about having a panzanella salad.

Nikki @ NikSnacks said...

GTMA. I have BLT fever too lol

Shelby said...

This salad looks absolutely delicious! The photo is awesome!

Brilynn said...

Usually I would say that you don't win friends with salad, but I think I would make an exception in this case based on the bacon, looks great!

Anonymous said...

Salad is looking appetizing.The ingredients of that salad is really essential for our health as well as useful too.

Elle said...

looks fabulous! We've got loads of cherry tomatoes, too--none of the others are ripening fast enough--phooey.

I've got to try this to use up some of those cherry tomatoes!

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