Sunday, January 27, 2013

Restaurant style House Salad with Homemade Croutons


A simple,fresh and delicious salad that is filled with vegetables and topped with crispy homemade garlic croutons. 

Let's start by making the croutons.
For this you will need Garlic,Olive oil, Salt, Pepper, Italian seasoning and a baguette.
Cut an 8oz bread in to small cubes.For best results use a day old french bread.

Pour 1/4 Cup Olive oil into a bowl.

Next peel a garlic and grate it into the olive oil.
Transfer the bread cubes into a large bowl and add 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Dried Italian herbs
Drizzle the bread with olive oil.Gently toss the bread and make sure they are coated with all the oils and seasonings.
Once the bread cubes are evenly and lightly coated, transfer them to a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Place it in a preheated oven at 300 degree F for 20 minutes.Remove and stir the croutons and return to the oven.Cook for another 20 minutes or until browned and crunchy.
They are perfect toppings for salads.Allow it to cool completely and store it in airtight containers.It can last up to 3 weeks unrefrigerated.

Now let's make our salad.For this you will need : Any type of lettuce (I used Romaine and Iceberg),Cherry tomato,Black olive,Red onion,Parmesan cheese and the croutons we made.

Wash and clean some romaine lettuce, then chop chop chop...

Then take some iceberg lettuce, then chop chop chop...

Transfer it to a large bowl.
Next thinly slice some onion rings

and add the onions into the bowl
 
Add some cherry tomatoes..If you are using regular tomatoes, cut it into wedges and add it to the bowl.

Finally add some pitted olives.Kalamatta olives works best in salads.
Give it a good toss and refrigerate it.

When ready to serve, transfer it to a plate and add some croutons

and finish it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

So simple and light !! Try it .


RECIPE

Ingredients:
For the croutons:
  • French baguette - 1
  • Pepper - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - 1/2 tsp
  • Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp
  • Olive oil - 1/4 Cup
  • Garlic - 1

For the salad :
  • Iceberg lettuce
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Red onion
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Pitted olives
  • Croutons
  • Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
For the croutons:
  • Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and add to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add salt, pepper and italian seasoning.
  • Combine the garlic and olive oil in a small mixing bowl.
  • Drizzle the oilve oil all over the bread .Toss with a spatula until the bread is evenly coated.
  • Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet and place in the preheated over for  20 minutes. Remove, and stir the croutons. Return to oven, and cook for 20 more minutes.
  • Cool and store in an airtight container until you use.

For the salad:
  • Mix everything except croutons and cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • When ready to serve, transfer to a serving plate and garnish with croutons and freshly grated parmessan.