Salt the tomatoes: Place chopped tomatoes in a colander set over a bowl and season with 1 teaspoon of of salt. Toss to coat. Set aside at room temperature to drain, tossing occasionally. Drain for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Make the croutons: Meanwhile, if your bread is not dry and stale, place it in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until crisp on the outsides. Then mix the bread with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook another 5-10 minutes until crisp and firm but not browned. Remove from oven and let cool.You can also saute the bread pieces with olive oil in a saute pan over medium-low heat until crisp and firm but not browned. Saute eggplant: Saute the cubed eggplant over medium heat with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until eggplant has softened. Add a splash of water (about 1-2 tablespoons) to the pan if the eggplant starts to stick. Set aside.
Char peppers: Heat a medium saute pan (a cast-iron pan works great here!) over medium heat, and add just a teaspoon of oil. Add the frying peppers and let them cook for a few minutes, or until charred on one side. Flip and cook until charred all over. Set aside.
Make the dressing: Remove colander with tomatoes from bowl with tomato juice. Place colander with tomatoes in sink. Add shallot, garlic, and vinegar to bowl with tomato juice. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Combine: Combine toasted bread, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and dressing in a large bowl. Add basil leaves. Toss everything to coat and season with salt and pepper. Let rest 30 minutes to 4 hours before serving, tossing occasionally until the dressing is absorbed by the bread.
Serve: with ricotta cheese and fresh black pepper.