Recipe: Blankit: Tunisian Bread Salad and Article: An Easy Tunisian Hors D'oeuvre Turns

BLANKIT: AN EASY TUNISIAN HORS D'OEUVRE TURNS INTO A SALAD

Blankit is an easy canape, a kind of succulent Tunisian bruschetta. Perfect in warm weather, it is a slice of French bread heaped with the finely chopped salad of tomato, green pepper and radish or fennel. A wedge of hard-cooked egg or some moist, dark tuna is often perched on top of the Blankit.

The French, who once ruled Tunisia, left behind in this North African country an enduring love for their crusty bread. In Blankit, which actually refers to the cushion of bread itself, the cottony center of the local version of French bread soaks up and holds the juices of the vegetable topping. Because of this, you must eat Blankit shortly after it is made or risk having the whole thing fall into a delicious mess in your hand.

A better way to avoid this is by serving Blankit as an appetizer, eaten with a knife and fork. And still better way is to turn the Blankit into a bread salad. Visiting Tunisia recently, I enjoyed Blankit served this way. It was the first course at a lunch served by the Maouia family at Dar Maouia, their home in the medina, the once-walled old quarter of Tunis.

The Maouia sisters, our hosts, were exceptional cooks, even in this country where women are the most respected chefs. Their family recipe for Blankit combined cubes of soft French bread with the expected chopped vegetables, plus finely diced Swiss cheese, chopped parsley, olives and anchovy, and flaked tuna. This was dressed with fruity olive oil and a splash of wine vinegar, and served on a bed of Romaine lettuce leaves, ringed with wedges of hard-cooked egg. Though Tunisian cooking is little known in the U.S., you can easily get all the ingredients for this salad, making it an easy as well as an appealing introduction to the splendid flavors of this North African cuisine.

BLANKIT: TUNISIAN BREAD SALAD

1 large green bell pepper
10-inch length French bread, stored overnight in a plastic bag
4 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced (1 cup)
2 ounces low-fat Swiss cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (1/2 cup)
2-ounce can anchovy filets, rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup Sicilian-style green olives, chopped
1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Romaine lettuce leaves Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the pepper on a piece of foil in the center of the oven. Roast 20 minutes, until its skin is dark in spots and loose. Immediately place the pepper in a paper bag for 20 minutes. Using your fingers, peel the pepper. Seed the pepper and chop it finely.

Cut the bread into 1/2-inch slices. Halve each slice horizontally, then stack and cut the halves into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the cubed bread in a large bowl; there should be 4 cups.

To the cubed bread, add the green pepper, tomato, cheese, anchovies, olives, and capers. Toss to combine. Add the parsley and mint, and toss. Pour in the oil and vinegar, and toss until the bread is completely moistened; it will reduce in volume. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange the lettuce to make a bed on each of 4 dinner plates, then mound 2 cups of the salad on each. Serve immediately.

Each of the four servings contains 238 calories and 8 grams of fat
Source: Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research