This dish features some of nature’s best produce – super sweet Sungold tomatoes, sweet red onions and arugula. These fresh ingredients, combined with your favorite toasted bread cubes and a sweet-tart vinaigrette, create a salad you will want to have several times a week. Some of the sweetest and best Sungold tomatoes can be found at the farm stand of Everything Under the Sun at the SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Ingredients
2 cups favorite bread cut into 1″ cubes (I use rustic bread from Della Fattoria.)
2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I use California Olive Ranch’s everyday olive oil for this.)
1 small sweet red onion, such as torpedo onions
1 small clove garlic, peeled
2 cups Sungold (or your favorite sweet cherry) tomatoes
1 handful of arugula
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Vinaigrette:
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I use Miller’s Blend or Arbequina from California Olive Ranch.)
1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (You can substitute a favorite dark balsamic if you don’t have white.)
2 large pinches Fleur de sel sea salt
Freshly-cracked pepper
You will also need:
Large baking sheet
Large salad bowl
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Small bowl for mixing vinaigrette
Large spoon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the bread cubes with 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil and roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until crispy and browned. Remove when toasted.
Meanwhile, slice the onion into very thin slices and put into the bottom of the salad bowl. Slice the garlic into thin slices and add that to the bowl (be sure to remove the green shoot in the middle, if present). Slice the Sungold tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl.
Add the arugula and the chopped basil to the bowl.
Add the toasted bread cubes to the bowl.
Meanwhile, mix together the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl.
Pour over the top of the salad. Toss gently. Serve immediately.
Serves 4 as a starter salad.
