Author Notes
This is one of my husband's favorite salads. We've been making it at least twice a week for the past two months. We've been tinkering it with every time and I think we've finally nailed it. It is the perfect dish for these incredibly hot summer days we've been having - refreshing and flavorful. [PS - I forgot to take a picture after we added the burrata so the picture above is not quite complete] - melissav —melissav
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe was very simple and easy to throw together. With two large English cucumbers, this was easily enough for 6-8 as a side dish/salad. The flavor in the dressing is robust and tangy. The burrata on top is like icing on a cake. The other really good thing about this recipe is that it offers the chef a number of opportunities to improvise to personal taste -- from the herb choices to adding other summer veggies, etc. The salad is substantial enough with the cheese that you could easily make it into an easy, fresh weeknight meal all summer long. I plan to do just that, over and over. - annalea
—The Editors
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Ingredients
- Salad
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5
thick slices of stale baguette, cubed
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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1
garlic clove, crushed
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1/2
small red onion, sliced very thin
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1.5 pounds
best quality tomatoes, a variety is good. I usually use a mix of roma, heirloom, and grape, chopped into large chunks
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2
cucumbers, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds scooped out with spoon, and sliced into half moons
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1
large handful of herbs, mix of basil, parsley, chives, mint, and tarragon or whatever you have handy, chopped
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salt
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1
ball burrata
- Dressing
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1 tablespoon
whole grain dijon
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1 tablespoon
capers, rough chop
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1
clove garlic, minced
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1/4 cup
champagne vinegar
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1/4 cup
red wine vinegar
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1/4 cup
olive oil
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2
big pinches of salt
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1
big pinch pepper
Directions
- Salad
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Heat the olive oil over medium low heat with the crushed garlic clove and add the bread cubes. Sprinkle with a little salt and saute until golden. You want them nice and toasty and golden and very hard. Once done, scrap into a large bowl and discard the garlic.
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Add the red onions, tomato, cucumbers, and herbs.
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Add the dressing (recipe below), starting with 1/4 cup. Toss. Add more dressing by the tablespoon until adequately dressed. I usually only need to add one or more spoonfuls after the 1/4 cup. Season to taste with salt.
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Let the salad sit for 10 minutes to allow the bread cubes to drink up the dressing and so the flavors have a chance to meld.
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Plate each salad. Gently tear or cut the burrata into large chunks and top each salad with a few chunks.
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Grab a seat on your patio and dig in!
- Dressing
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Place all the ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.
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