Black Pepper Croutons

Salads are one of my favourite dishes. There are endless tasty, colourful variations you can play around with. And they're healthy too! What more could you ask for? I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to come to terms with my salad appreciation. Some serious childhood stigma attached I think.

Sometimes all you need to make a salad into a satisfying meal is that extra bit of flavour and texture; these home-made croutons are perfect for that. The black pepper brings an extra spice to the flavour, and the crunch adds an extra bite! Here is how;

You'll need:

Two slices of bread (I used a seeded loaf)

1 Tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper + more for seasoning

1 Largeish clove of garlic, dice.

1 Teaspoon of dried oregano 

100ml of extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste.

Pre-heat your oven to 180'C. Slice your bread into cubes that are just over 1cm. Lay your bread out on a dry tray and bake until they're dry to touch (should be about 5 minutes). 

Heat up your oil and garlic in a small saucepan at a simmer. Stir in your ground black pepper (if you can, grind it fresh! My favourite), oregano and a pinch of salt. Keep it moving! As soon as your garlic starts to colour take from the heat and remove the garlic from the mixture. It'll just burn as you go on, and burnt garlic is the worst.

Stir your dried bread cubes into the seasoned oil mixture until evenly coated. Lay back out on your tray again and bake for a further 10minutes or until nicely golden. Shuffle and turn every few minutes so they're evenly coloured. Transfer to baking paper to cool. Taste and season with more black pepper, oregano and salt to taste. 

Once cooled, enjoy with your favourite salad leaves (peppery rocket is perfect!) and a simple olive oil dressing. A few chilli flakes would be a great addition if you enjoy extra spice. Prefer something a little less fiery? Try rosemary instead.

These crouts are best enjoyed straight away. But, if you can resist, they can be stored in an airtight container and they'll stay fresh for about a week. I'm going to be taking them to work for my dinner time salads. Nom.