Materan cold cialledda, a fresh salad of tomatoes and cucumbers with Tropea red onion served with soaked and squeezed Matera bread, the good durum wheat bread typical of Matera. I discovered cialledda a few years ago, during one of my trips to Matera, where I love to return every year to enjoy the mysterious charm of the stones. Every time I go, I discover something more, and this time I found a lovely bakery that makes its bread with ancient grains and sourdough, so I couldn’t resist and brought home a few loaves. Since last year I had eaten cialledda at a little restaurant among the stones, I thought about recreating the recipe at home, having all the ingredients, including Matera bread. And here I am, sharing the goodness of this salad with you, with flavors typical of the south: oregano, Tropea red onion from my Calabria, Matera bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh basil.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ingredients for Materan Cold Cialledda
- 2 cucumbers
- 2 slices of Matera bread
- 2 salad tomatoes
- 1 Tropea red onion
- to taste dried oregano
- to taste fresh basil
- to taste salt
- to taste olive oil
Tools to Prepare Materan Bread Salad Cialledda
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Spoon
Steps to Prepare Materan Cold Cialledda
Slice the stale bread, at least 2 days old, into fairly thick slices, and then cut into chunks. Place it in a bowl covered with cold water. Let it soak for a few minutes until it is soft.
Squeeze the bread hard, you’ll see it will squeeze like a sponge, little by little, without deforming. Place it in a bowl and meanwhile, cut the vegetables.
Wash and slice the tomatoes. Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise and slice them. Place everything in the bowl with the bread and also add one cleaned Tropea red onion, halved and sliced.
Season with salt, oregano, plenty of freshly chopped basil, and finally plenty of extra virgin olive oil. A good stir and our cold bread salad alla Materana, the cialledda, is ready. It’s great to serve as an appetizer, but I also prepare it on hot days as a main dish, perhaps with the addition of a mozzarella cheese or some grilled chicken.
