Ingredients:
6 slices of D'Italiano Thick Slice Original White Bread
½ cup (approximately 12) Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
2 Roma tomatoes cut into eighths, lengthwise
6 Garlic cloves
3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp Coarse salt
½ tsp Fresh cracked pepper
Salad Dressing
6 Cloves roasted garlic
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
Juice of ½ a lemon (approximately 1.5 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp Capers
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Anchovy paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp Sugar
A Pinch red pepper flakes
½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
1 Cucumber, angle-cut into ¼ slices
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
Garnish: Fresh basil leaves and Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375°F.
2) Slice off the crusts and cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Gently toss together the bread, olives, tomatoes, and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Evenly distribute on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, turning half way. The bread should be a toasted to a light golden brown. (Reserve the roasted garlic cloves for the salad dressing.)
3) To prepare the salad dressing use a blender or food processor to puree all the second set of ingredients together, including the roasted garlic gloves, but not including the olive oil. When the mixture is homogeneous, while the appliance is still running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a tiny stream.
4) On a large communal serving platter (or individual plates) artistically arrange the cucumber slices in a floral pattern and sprinkle on the red onions. Drizzle with a liberal amount of the salad dressing and then top with the bread, olives and tomatoes. Drizzle with more dressing and garnish with basil leaves and Parmesan cheese.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves four as Antipasto, or two as Main Course