Acqua e sale (Puglian bread salad) with marinated onions
Acqua e sale has its roots in the Italian region of Puglia, where farmers would rehydrate stale bread with water and serve it with tomatoes, olive oil and salt. This version adds marinated onions for sweetness and acidity.
Ingredients
For the marinated onions
- 2 red onions, finely sliced
- 2 tsp soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- pinch sea salt
For the acqua e sale
- 200g/7oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ cucumber, peeled, cut into 4 lengthways, de-seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- pinch dried oregano
- 50ml/2fl oz extra virgin olive oil
- 150g/5½oz stale sourdough or ciabatta, ripped into small pieces
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Toss the onions with the sugar, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, ideally a few hours.
Mix the tomatoes with the garlic, marinated red onions, cucumber, parsley and oregano. Season well and mix with the olive oil.
Sprinkle the bread pieces with 50ml/2fl oz of water, then fold the bread into the vegetables. Drizzle with more oil, season again and serve.
