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By J.M. HIRSCH

Associated Press

The basic building block for a great salad? Greens, of course.

But for James Peterson, what that means varies greatly by season.

"I usually start out with a standard combination of greens, one for winter, one for summer," said Peterson, whose cookbooks have won numerous James Beard awards. "In the winter, I use a combination of bitter greens, including frisee, treviso or radicchio di Cremona, and endive, and a mixture of equal parts basil leaves and baby radicchio in the summer."

From there, it's all a matter of taste and inspiration.

"Basic salads can easily be converted into main courses by adding such things as sliced grilled steak or duck, chicken, slices of raw, grilled tuna," Peterson said.

For the salad series, Peterson offered his version on the classic Italian bread and tomato salad from his just released cookbook, "Kitchen Simple."

"I wanted the bread to retain its crunch and not get soggy, but at the same time I wanted it to absorb the juices from the tomatoes," he said. "To accomplish this, I saute the bread cubes in olive oil, which sort of seals them from moisture and keeps them crisp.

"The other element is, of course, the tomatoes, which must be super ripe. It's also important to seed the tomatoes so their juices don't overly dilute the salad sauce, a step omitted by many even experienced cooks. The salad should not only be a study in flavors, but also one of textures."

* * *

Four large tomatoes can be replaced with about 32 cherry tomatoes.

Tuscan Bread and Tomato Salad

Three 1âÑ2-inch-thick slices crusty bread, cut into 1âÑ2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 medium tomatoes (peeled, if desired)

1 medium red or green bell pepper, roasted, peeled, then cut into strips

20 fresh basil leaves

12 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained

5 tablespoons pitted and coarsely chopped brine-cured imported black olives

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Salt and ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, toss bread cubes with 3 tablespoons of oil. Sauté until cubes brown slightly, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and gently squeeze out seeds. Chop tomatoes into 1âÑ2-inch chunks and put in a large bowl. Add bread cubes, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, bell pepper, basil, anchovies, olives and vinegar. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, then serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 490 calories; 230 calories from fat (47 percent of total calories); 25 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 52 g carbohydrate; 13 g protein; 4 g fiber; 1,010 mg sodium.

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