Panzanella

I love fresh bakery bread, but it rarely stays fresh longer than a couple of days. I usually don't have time to eat it all before it goes stale. I bought a rosemary and olive oil loaf a few days ago and instead of throwing it out, I decided to make a panzanella salad. Panzanella is a salad make up of fresh veggies and toasted bread cubes. I found a recipe for panzanella on The Food Network from The Barefoot Contessa. I scaled down the recipe and made a few slight changes. This salad is really delicious and fresh. It's a great end of the summer salad.


Panzanella
3-4 servings

For the salad:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups stale bread, cubed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup seedless cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
• 10 large basil leaves, chiffonade
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)
  

For the viniagrette:

• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned.
• For the vinaigrette, whisk the garlic, mustard, and vinegar together. Slowly add the olive oil, constantly whisking until it is all incorporated. Mix in the salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. If needed reseason with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.
• Before serving shave desired amount of Parmesan cheese on top of the salad. Enjoy!