Fall Panzanella Salad

Panzanella or panmolle is a Tuscan salad of bread and tomatoes that is popular in the summer. It includes chunks of soaked stale bread and tomatoes, sometimes also onions and basil, dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Add a twist or two and turn this Italian salad into the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving full of autumn flavors.

Cinnamon and thyme roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash cubes nestled in a bed of greens with apple slices, topped with goat cheese and sunflower seeds, drizzled with an olive oil dressing make this one irresistible salad. 

Recipe inspiration from twopeasandtheirpod.com and makes four salads. 

Fall Panzanella Salad

Cook's Notes:Ingredients for salad and dressing can easily be increased. As a time saver look for pre-cut butternut squash cubes in produce. Italian bread can be substituted for Rosemary though not as flavorful. Advance planning makes assembly go smoother. Bread cubes can be toasted the day before and early in the day roast Brussels sprouts and butternut squash. I included two different vinaigrette dressings to choose from.  

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a loaf of Rosemary bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2-1/2 cups butternut squash, cut in 1 inch cubes  
• 2-1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved and quartered
• 1-1/2 TB. olive oil  
• 1/2 cup red onion, slices
• 2 minced garlic cloves 
• sprinkle of thyme and cinnamon
• 3 cups mixed greens
• 1 large Honeycrisp, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup pepitas or sunflower seeds
• crumbled goat cheese

Salad Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bread cubes on a large baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until the bread is toasted. Set aside.
• Turn oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl add Brussels sprouts and butternut squash. Toss with olive oil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone pad. Spread mixture out evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon and thyme. Arrange onion and garlic among the cubes and sprouts. 
• Roast 20-25 minutes until fork tender but not mushy. Stir once during roasting time. Cool to room temperature.
• Assemble the salad- each was plated with mixed greens, Brussels sprouts and butternut squash mixture, apples slices, cranberries and crumbled goat cheese. 

Maple-Cider Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 3 TB. cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp. apple pie spice 
• 1/8 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp each kosher salt and pepper 
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Maple-Cider Vinaigrette 

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 TB. fresh lemon juice
• 2 TB. apple cider vinegar
• 2 TB. maple syrup
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Each dressing is mixed in a blender. 

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I found I could say things with color and shapes 

that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.

-Georgia O'Keeffe

American artist Georgia O'Keeffe is one of the 20th century's greatest painters. She was born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin November 15, 1887. She grew up believing she would become an artist at a time when few women were encouraged to pursue their artistic talents.
Inspired by nature, she used shape, form, and color to create the idea of her subject and the way she felt about it.
Georgia O'Keeffe is renowned for her images of gigantic flowers, vibrant cityscapes and distinctive desert scenes.

Poppies were one of Georgia's favorite subjects. In this painting she shows two blossoms filling the canvas in symmetrical balance. She uses a palette of warm colors. The center of the poppies are a velvety dark shade to draw the viewer's eyes right into the core of the blossoms.

Deer's Skull 

O'Keefe loved the southwest landscape. On her long walks through the New Mexico dessert she often gathered bones to use as models for her paintings. Since she felt cattle were a major part of the American experience it was a way for her to pay tribute to her country through her paintings.

Georgia O'Keeffe died in 1986, Santa Fe, New Mexico. During her legendary life of 98 years she lived to see some of her 900 works of art exhibited in major art museums.