Panzanella

lavendersage — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:19:28 GMT

This recipe was posted by luvmybichon last year. I made it

twice then and loved it and was so happy to have nice tomatoes this week to make it again.

I use less basil. Only about 5 leaves. I don’t add the garlic to the vinaigrette because I don’t like raw garlic. I used a pinch of garlic powder.

I also add sugar to taste.

Like luvmybichon, I haven’t used the capers. I would like to try it though to see how it tastes.

Thank you luvmybichon for sharing this one last year!

I am posting 4 photos. My husband wanted to take pictures of his salad. I like his choice for the green bowl better than the Polish stoneware dish that I chose. lol

Panzanella

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

This is Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) recipe. Since nice tomatoes are available now I thought it would be a good time to post. I usually just use shallots instead of the red onion. I also have never put the capers in. I think I must not have had them the first time I made this and just always do it the same. I have used champagne vinegar and white wine vinegar.~ luvmybichon@rs

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Panzanella