Bread salad with pancetta, arugula and tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 900 g of tomatoes of different varieties, cut into 3 cm pieces.
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 3 cups young arugula
• 55 g hard ricotta cheese, grated
• 1/2 loaf crusty Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• 170 g thinly sliced pancetta (salt-cured brisket of bacon breed pigs)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced ​​red onion
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Soak the onions in cold water while you prepare the pancetta and croutons.
2. Fry the pancetta in batches, placing it in a single layer in a large skillet. Cook for 4 minutes on each side until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Don't discard the rendered fat.
3. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and rendered pancetta fat. Add the bread cubes to the mixture and place them on a baking sheet, sprinkling with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Spread them into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once.
4. Drain the onions. Reserve 6 slices of pancetta and finely chop the rest. Combine in a large bowl with the tomatoes, arugula, basil, olives, bread, vinegar, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
5. Divide the salad into individual serving bowls. Sprinkle with a little ricotta cheese and top with a slice of pancetta.