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Middle Eastern Bread Salad | DonalSkehan.com, One of the best ways of using up that stale sourdough lurking at the bottom of the bread bin.
  • summer

Middle Eastern Bread Salad

June 26

The ingredients here might be humble but this summery dish makes the very most of them. Like many bread salads, this one has its origins in peasant food but makes a hearty dinner, humming with spice and flavour, worthy of a king! Sprinkle with a little extra sumac before serving for a sharp hit of citrus. You could also replace the sourdough with toasted pitta.

  • serves Serves 4
  • time 30mins

Method

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 200 ̊C/400F/Gas mark 6.
  2. 2. Place the peppers on a large at 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 lm. 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 and slice into chunky pieces.
  3. 3. 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.
  4. 4. Lay the bread pieces 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.
  5. 5. Place all the remaining salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the peppers, toasted bread and dressing. Toss until completely coated and serve.

Ingredients

5 large mixed peppers

5 slices sourdough bread, torn into rough bite-sized pieces

Olive oil, for drizzling

1lb cherry tomatoes, halved

1⁄2 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced

1⁄2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 radishes, thinly sliced

Large handful of fresh coriander, roughly torn

Large handful of fresh parsley, roughly torn

1 cup black olives, pitted

For the dressing:

1 roasted red pepper from a jar, seeds removed

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

1 tsp sumac

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 large mixed peppers

300g sourdough bread, torn into rough bite-sized pieces

Olive oil, for drizzling

500g cherry tomatoes, halved

1⁄2 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced

1⁄2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 radishes, thinly sliced

Large handful of fresh coriander, roughly torn

Large handful of fresh parsley, roughly torn

150g black olives, pitted

For the dressing:

1 roasted red peppers from a jar, seeds removed

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

1 tsp sumac

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

You'll Need

Baking tray

Mixing bowl

Food Processor