Mediterranean Salad with Olive-Bread Croutons

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Photo: Yunhee Kim
Servings:
6

Frisee, red-leaf lettuce, and olive-flecked croutons offer an elegant twist on a classic Greek salad.

Ingredients

For the Croutons

  • ¼ olive loaf, crust removed, bread cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons minced shallot

  • ¼ cup red-wine vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Salad

  • 2 heads frisee, torn into pieces (4 cups)

  • 1 head red-leaf lettuce or 4 heads Lolla Rossa, torn into pieces (4 cups)

  • 12 red or yellow cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

  • ½ cup pitted, sliced Kalamata olives (about 2 ½ ounces)

  • 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

  • ½ cup fresh dill leaves

  • ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Make the croutons: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss bread with oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool. (Croutons can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week.)

  2. Make the dressing: Puree shallot, vinegar, and lemon juice in a blender. With machine running, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. Make the salad: Toss together salad ingredients. Sprinkle with croutons, and drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

Olive bread adds saltiness to the croutons, but you can use any rustic loaf.

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