Cialledda Materana Fredda
A refreshing Lucanian bread salad from Matera made with stale durum wheat bread, ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and fragrant local olive oil.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 340 kcal
Equipment
- •Large mixing bowl
- •Small bowl
- •Chef's knife
- •Cutting board
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- fat
- 15 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 7 g
- calories
- 340 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the sliced red onion in a small bowl with cold water and vinegar for ten minutes to mellow the sharpness.
- 2
Cut or tear the stale durum wheat bread into bite-sized rustic chunks.
- 3
Dip the bread briefly in a bowl of cold water for a few seconds until slightly softened but not soggy.
- 4
Squeeze the bread gently with your hands to remove excess moisture and place it into a large mixing bowl.
- 5
Chop the tomatoes over the bowl to catch all of their juices directly on the bread.
- 6
Add the sliced cucumber, drained red onion, sliced celery, and black olives to the bowl.
- 7
Scatter the torn basil leaves and dried oregano over the vegetables.
- 8
Season generously with fine sea salt and drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil.
- 9
Toss everything together thoroughly until the bread absorbs the oil and tomato juices.
- 10
Rest at room temperature for fifteen minutes before serving to allow flavours to meld.
Chef's tips
Use dense, yellow durum wheat bread rather than soft white sandwich bread, which disintegrates when wet. Do not over-soak the bread; a swift dip in cold water is enough to tenderise the crust while retaining bite.
Ingredient substitutions
- Pane di Matera → Pane di Altamura or any crusty sourdough durum loaf
- baked Ferrandina olives → kalamata or dry-cured black olives
Storage
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to twenty-four hours.
Reheating
Do not reheat this cold salad; simply bring it to room temperature before eating.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Leaving the bread in the water bath too long, which reduces it to mush.
- •Discarding tomato seeds and juices, which are needed to season the bread.
- •Chilling the finished salad in the fridge before serving, which dulls the flavour of the olive oil.
Serving suggestions
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