Panzanella Salad

Panzanella or panmolle (bread salad) is a Tuscan salad of bread and tomatoes popular in the summer. It includes chunks of soaked stale bread, diced tomatoes, onions and basil, dressed with olive oil and vinegar.

Cook's notes: Panzanella Salad is a great way to use up leftover or slightly stale bread and ripe tomatoes. The original recipe is typically made with red wine vinegar and olive oil. This version substitutes balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar. Be sure to use your best extra light virgin olive oil as quality becomes apparent after the first bite. The dish gets better the longer the flavors are allowed to infuse so you can make it several hours in advance. Be sure to stir the salad a couple of times.

If you happen to shop at a store that carries oils and balsamic vinegars consider buying chocolate balsamic vinegar. I splurged recently and bought a small bottle. 

The taste is amazing. I drizzled it over vegetables and roasted them and used it in the Panzanella Salad. Other uses for chocolate balsamic vinegar include: using it over ice cream or macerate fresh berries with it for a simple, yet decadent dessert.
This recipe serves 4








Ingredients:
Salad

• 1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1 inch cubes you will need 2 cups
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes
• 1 cup diced cucumbers or 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
• 1/2 cup diced yellow pepper
• 1/2 cup diced  red onion
• 6-8 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• optional grilled summer squash or cooked green beans
• optional adding in mixed greens

Ingredients:
Vinaigrette

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup extra light virgin olive oil
• 3 TB. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes, 1/4 tsp. dried thyme and 1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Directions:

• In a blender add oil, spices, minced garlic and vinegar. Mix well. 

• In a bowl place stale bread cubes and add half of the vinaigrette to the cubes. Toss to coat well and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl add tomatoes chunks, onions, peppers, cucumbers and torn basil leaves. 
• Salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine ingredients and add in rest of vinaigrette with bread cubes.
• Mix the salad ingredients and let sit for at least 30 minutes. The longer the salad sits, the juicer the tomatoes will be.   

 

Use a muffin tin as a cooling rack.

Ice Scraper as Pastry Dough Lifter

Lift sticky pastry dough from the work surface. Next to ice, this job really isn't quite so hard.