Serves 4

Bread salad makes a great side on those end-of-summer days when it’s too hot to even think about cooking. As with the chilled tomato soup with corn and basil (left), it is a great way to make use of those intensely flavorful end-of-summer tomatoes and bread no longer at its peak.

5 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

¼ cup chopped green olives

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 cups cubed crusty bread

1. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, olive oil, parsley, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Let tomato mixture sit on the counter for 15 minutes.

2. Toss bread with tomato mixture and adjust seasoning as necessary. Let salad sit for at least 30 minutes, tossing every so often so that juices from the tomatoes distribute evenly. Sydney Oland

Sydney Oland can be reached at sydney.oland@gmail.com.