Simple Tomato Salad Recipe
When fresh tomatoes are at their sweet, summery best, it seems a shame to cook them. This simple-but-satisfying salad really allows them to shine – all you need to do is make the croutons, drizzle on the dressing and tear over a few fresh basil leaves. Job done! Serves 4.
Method
Preheat your oven to 220°C (Gas Mark 7). Take your slices of bread and rip them into small, bite-sized chunks – try to get them all roughly the same size so that they cook evenly.
Put the bread pieces on a baking tray and drizzle over some light olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and use your hands to turn the bread pieces gently until they all have a light coating of oil. Put the tray into the hot oven and cook for about 10 minutes; take the tray out after five minutes and use a fish slice to flip the bread over, before returning the tray to the oven. You are aiming for croutons that are crisp on the outside but still a little chewy inside, so try not to let them cook for too long or they will become hard throughout.
When they are ready, remove them from the oven, tip on to a plate lined with kitchen roll and set aside. While the croutons are cooking, slice the tomatoes; chop the smaller ones in half and any larger ones into smallish chunks, then put them in a serving bowl with all their juices. Whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil and the red wine vinegar, then pour over the tomatoes. Add a good pinch of salt and several turns of the pepper mill, then rip the basil leaves into the bowl and mix everything gently together to combine. When you are ready to eat, tip the croutons into the bowl and toss them through the salad, then serve straight away.
