Recipes

Italian "French Toast" with tomato salad

(presented at King Market 9/13/09)

serves 6

The cookbook author Faith Willinger introduced us to Frittata di Pane, or Italian “French Toast” in her book Adventures of an Italian Food Lover.

This is really a savory French toast, minus the milk. I think of it as a cross between frittata and fried bread.  Best of all, the technique gives bread lovers a new use for good-but-stale bread. Make Italian French toast with bread that had good flavor when it was fresh. (Don’t try Italian French toast with sweetened bread, or bland factory bread—the results would disappoint.)

for the frittata:

• 6 eggs
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil + 2 Tbsp olive oil for frying
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups cubed, dry bread (crust removed)

for the tomato salad:

• 2 cups cubed fresh tomato, or cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 2 Tbsp basil, sliced into thin strips
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions: Crack eggs into a mixing bowl with the water, olive oil and salt and pepper. Whisk to mix. Add stale bread cubes and mix. Stir every 5 minutes or so, until the bread absorbs the egg mixture.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl and allow to sit. The tomatoes will give off their sweet tart juices, which will mix with the olive oil to form a sauce.

Preheat a small nonstick skillet over medium low heat and add the 2Tbsp olive oil. Add the egg bread mixture and press into the pan to make an even layer. Cook until the bottom of the toast is golden brown. Flip the toast by sliding it onto a plate, turning it over and then sliding it back into the pan. Continue cooking until golden brown and the edges are crisp.

Slide toast onto a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve with the tomatoes and their juices spooned over the top.

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