The Simple things

Since Summer is in full swing, we are awash in picnics and cookouts. Afterall no sane person wants to stand over a hot stove in the kitchen when we can stand over a blazing grill in the backyard!

I'm not sure why but everything tastes better when it's cooked on the grill----the worst cuts of meat, marinated and grilled become delicious; vegetables are more flavorful; fish becomes almost exotic when tinged with woodsmoke. Heck we even grill pizzas!

But not everything can be grilled and you do usually need some sort of side dish on the menu. Last week I was called upon to provide a side dish for a group cookout, and thought I'd bring something most of the attendees probably hadn't had before (always a risk!). So I showed up with a heaping bowl of Tuscan Bread Salad. It's the easiest thing on the planet to make, but you should have heard the mmmmms and ahhhhs. So to spread the joy I'm sharing the "recipe" .

For enough for 8 people start with the following and adjust to your taste:

1 loaf of crusty peasant bread ---- I like Ciabatta
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 jar of pitted Kalamata Olives
a small bunch of fresh Basil
Parmesan or Romano (or whatever cheese you like)

Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and throw in a big bowl.
Slice the tomatoes in half and toss in the bread.
Tear basil into small pieces and add to the bowl.
Toss in olives.
Smash the garlic and add to the mix.
Grate about 1/4 c over the whole thing and toss to mix.
Now pour the oil and vinegar (I start with about 1/4 cup of oil and half that amount of vinegar) over the whole thing and mix well.
Here's the hard part: Let it sit for a few hours! It gets better as it sits, but if you can't stand the wait dig in!

That's it, couldn't be simpler but it's delicious and always a crowd pleaser.
Cheers!