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Panzanella
Serves 4-6
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Traditionally, panzanella (Italian bread salad) was a home for leftover dried bread, which was soaked in water or dressings to bring it back to life. I think it is much nicer made with toasted bread – choose a good structured sourdough loaf, or a well-made baguette, not fluffy white stuff. The salad is at its best about 30 minutes after tossing the croutons with the dressing because the hard edges of the croutons soften a little and absorb some of the yummy juices, but they haven’t completely softened. This timing makes it a perfect dish for a barbecue – do the bread first, then grill the rest of the meal. Serve panzanella as a starter or as an accompanying salad.
You'll find this recipe and many more like it in my book, SIZZLE: SENSATIONAL BARBECUE FOOD. | |
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Ingredients
1/2 small ciabatta loaf (slipper-shaped sourdough loaf) or 1/2 baguette (French bread)
Olive oil or olive oil spray
2 small red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 telegraph cucumber (long, tender-skinned cucumber)
3 large tomatoes, cubed and drained briefly
1/2 cup black olives
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Tbsp capers, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
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Method
1 Cut bread into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) cubes to generously fill 2 cups. Put bread cubes in a shallow dish and drizzle or spray lightly with oil. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden on a barbecue hot plate (cast-iron griddle). Transfer croutons to a side plate.
2 Soak sliced onions in cold water for 15 minutes. Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, then cut into half circles. Transfer cucumber to a large bowl. Add drained onions, cubed tomatoes, olives and croutons. Tear the larger basil leaves into small pieces and scatter them over the top.
3 In a small bowl, mix together garlic and capers with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Add oil and vinegar. Pour over salad. Toss well, then cover and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil leaves before serving.
Photo Credit: Aaron McLean
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