ITALIAN BREAD SALAD

Italian bread salad combines crispy focaccia with savoury marinated cherry tomatoes and a hint of basil. This aromatic combination promises a flavour experience that is perfect both as a light meal and as a side dish for a variety of occasions.

Recipe for 3–4 people
Preparation time: 3 hours
Utensils: food processor (for kneading)

Focaccia ingredients:

300 g flour
4 g salt
2 g sugar
180 g lukewarm water
10 g fresh yeast
50 ml olive oil
1 clove garlic
25 ml water
2 tsp Amore spice mix

Tomato salad ingredients:

300 g cherry tomatoes
5 g salt
½ bunch basil
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 tsp hot table mustard
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp Amore spice mix
30 g pine nuts
Additional gratings from Cocoa Balls

Preparing the focaccia:

1. Mix the flour and salt, place in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre with a spoon.
2. Mix the sugar and yeast into the lukewarm water until dissolved. Leave to stand in a warm place for approx. 5 to 10 minutes.
3. When the yeast mixture starts to foam, slowly add it to the flour and salt mixture and mix well.
4. Then knead the dough for 5 minutes using the dough hook attachment.
5. Pour a little olive oil into a bowl and place the dough in the oil.
6. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for approx. 1 to 1.5 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Fold the dough over, place in a shallow baking tray and gently press small indentations into it with your fingertips.
8. Leave to prove again for about 20 to 30 minutes.
9. Purée the olive oil with the garlic, Amore spice mix and water.
10. Then pour this mixture into the indentations.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at about 220 °C for 20 minutes.

Preparing the tomato salad:

1. Quarter the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle generously with salt.
2. Place the salted tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl and chill in the fridge for a few hours. (This allows the tomato water to be collected. We'll need it later for the dressing).
3. Then finely chop the shallots, basil and garlic and add them to the tomato water together with the mustard and olive oil.
4. Mix everything together to make a dressing.
5. Add the Amore spice mix to taste.
6. Set the tomato water aside and briefly rinse the salted tomatoes in the sieve under cold water and drain well (so the bread salad does not become too salty).

Assembling the bread salad:

1. Cut the focaccia into pieces, drizzle with a little olive oil and toast it together with the pine nuts in the oven at 175 °C for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Then add the toasted focaccia, pine nuts and dressing to the tomatoes and fold through.
3. Arrange and enjoy.

Tip:
Sprinkle a little grated Cocoa Balls on top, if you like.