Name: Marinated Plum Tomato Salad with Olive Sauce
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1½ teaspoons red wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon table salt; 1 garlic clove , minced; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1¼ pounds plum tomatoes , cored and cut into ½-inch wedges; ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 4 ounces crusty bread , torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups); ⅛ teaspoon table salt; ½ cup pitted kalamata olives; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 3–6 tablespoons water; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Why This Recipe Works

For a tomato salad that can be made year-round, we marinated plum tomatoes in a mixture of oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, and sugar to give them deep flavor. This step also drew juice from the tomatoes, which we incorporated into the dressing for the crispy chunks of toasted bread. We brought everything together with fresh herbs and a creamy olive sauce that we made by blending kalamata olives with oil and warm spices.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe with ciabatta, but any crusty bread will work here.

Instructions

for the tomatoes

Combine oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, and pepper flakes in large bowl. Add tomatoes and toss to combine. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

for the croutons

Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add bread and salt and cook, stirring often, until bread is golden brown all over, 7 to 9 minutes. Off heat, let bread cool for at least 5 minutes.

for the olive sauce

Combine olives, oil, 3 tablespoons water, cinnamon, and cumin in blender and process until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar often and adding remaining 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed until thoroughly blended.

Add parsley, oregano, and bread to bowl with tomatoes and toss to combine. Transfer mixture, including any residual juice from tomatoes, to serving platter. Drizzle with olive sauce as desired. Serve, passing any remaining olive sauce separately.