Hello,

If you are like me the summer heat is hitting and I try to avoid turning on the stove/oven. Found this recipe, tried it and it was outstanding!!! Had never had anything like it before....makes a simple "light" main course:

TUSCAN BEAN AND BREAD SALAD

1 loaf of crusty, stale (days old ok, no mold) bread, torn into bite sized pcs. Approx. 1/2 cup water 1 small onion chopped, 2 (I used more) cloves of garlic minced, 2 Stalks of celery thinly sliced 1 can (15 1/2 oz) white beans, drained & rinsed 1/2 cup oil-cured olives, pitted (I used cheapo black olives - yummm) 1/2 cup tomato/basil pasta sauce (I used Classico - had in cupboard) 2 Tablespoons each of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and minced parsley (I used carrot tops) 1 teaspoon minced sage and 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest (used OJ)(I don't think I would have missed it if unavailable) Salt and pepper to taste.

sprinkle just enough water over the bread to moisten without making it soggy; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients; stir to mix well. Serve salad over moistened bread. Serves 6.

My suggestions:

Herbs are really easy to grow (most are like weeds). Sage is available year-round. Stale bread.....not too hard to find, huh?

Onions, oranges (in winter), garlic, celery (properly stored) are so easy to keep on hand and do so much for flavor! Don't be afraid to experiment (like carrot tops instead of parsley!).

Buy some balsamic vinegar - it adds an incredible flavor to this and many other dishes - livens up salads including potato, rice, etc.

This went together in about 15 minutes, has zesty flavor, complete protein and is low fat (only the olive oil but adds great flavor).

If need be I plan to utilize a lot of stored dry beans, rice, wheat, corn etc. Made it cheap to stock up and now I am testing ways to liven it up. This recipe encourages me! Bye!

-- Kristi (securx@Succeed.Net), May 12, 1999

Answers

Eeeeeeeeeeks - I have GOT to learn to format! Sorry it all ran together. Enjoy.

-- Kristi (securx@Succeed.Net), May 12, 1999.

Kristi,

This sounds like the recipe to the Tuscan Bread Salad we had in Florence ten years ago. Been trying to find a recipe ever since. Our daughter and soon-to-be son in law are going to Italy on their honeymoon next month and had directions to find recipe.

Thanks noel

-- noel (ngoyette@csc.com), May 12, 1999.

Noel,

Glad this is helpful. I was pleasantly surprised at the mouthwatering taste! By the way the recipe calls for FRESH sage, if using dried I would try about 1/8 teaspoon instead.

Ciao!

-- Kristi (securx@Succeed.Net), May 12, 1999.

Summer heat huh? THAT would be nice. We've had frosts for several days now.......sigh..We're still in cooking hot hearty meal mode to stay warm here-would love to put away the winter jacket and hat for awhile!!

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), May 12, 1999.

Good recipe, Kristi, thanks. Gazpacho is also a good dish to try and will be very popular soon with all those tomatoes everyone's growing! Anyone need recipes for gazpacho and fresh salsa? Anyone else have no-cook summer recipes suitable for Y2K stash and produce?

If the power (and, of course, the AC!) goes, we'll desperately need this sort of food. Sweetie and I enjoyed gazpacho with slightly stale 7-grain bread (browned on a small baking tin sprayed with olive oil over Sterno) after Fran.

Incidentally, check out the spray olive oils--the sell-by dates are about a year hence.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 13, 1999.

Old Git: Please post your gazpacho recipe!!! I have a HUGE (for me) garden this year and have set out mostly paste tomatoes. I'm saving my seeds for next year(s).This is the first year I have tried bush lima beans - they look good so far. I have 10 different kinds of potatoes - 8 of them yellow. I hope to be able to save my potato seed over the winter.

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), May 13, 1999.