Ingredients:

Croutons:

150g stale ciabatta bread torn into small chunks

1 fat clove garlic, minced

Dressing:

2 small shallots, thinly sliced into rounds

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar (or sub with 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar + 1 Tbsp maple syrup)

½ tsp Dijon mustard

Salad:

2x packs NZ hothouse cocktail truss tomatoes

8 good-quality anchovy filets

200g fresh buffalo mozzarella

Basil leaves to serve

Shaved Parmesan to serve

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Croutons: Tear bread into chunks roughly 2cm. In a large bowl, combine garlic with 3 Tbsp olive oil. Add bread to bowl, season well with salt and pepper, then toss to coat in the garlic oil. Make sure the bread is well coated. Transfer to a lined oven tray, spread into a single layer and bake for 10-15 minutes until very golden brown and crispy.

Dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl with 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and ¼ tsp table salt. Set aside until ready to serve.

Salad: Slice tomatoes into rounds about 0.5 cm thick. Arrange tomato slices on a platter, then tear over the buffalo mozzarella. Scatter over croutons. Drizzle with dressing, then lay the anchovy filets on top. Season lightly with flaky salt. Garnish with basil & shaved parmesan.

Recipe Credit: Melies Kitchen