Pesto Croutons

Would you like some salad with your bread

We had an oversized, stale sourdough loaf on our counter one recent Saturday that was destined for a batch of croutons. But inspiration hadn’t really struck. A little oil, a little sea salt was perhaps the only treatment they’d get. Then we saw this post over at Cooking in Sens and thought: ‘Hey wait we could make pesto croutons.’ Ours were topping a salad, hers a beetroot tiramisu.

Most of you are probably already familiar with Rosemary’s blog, but if you haven’t seen it go check it out. She’s an American living in France, so she’s just as good as making barbecue as crispy frog legs. She’s also a wonderful photographer and chef and has the best stocked freezer on that side of the Atlantic.

Pesto Croutons

• 6 cups stale bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Romano
• salt/pepper to taste (remember the cheese is salty)
• 2-3 tbsp pesto

Mix pesto, cheese, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. The mix should be a bit soupy so that it coats the bread. Add more oil if needed. In a large bowl toss the bread cubes and the pesto mix. Place on a greased cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake at 375 until toasted, stirring if needed, about 15 minutes.