A popular dish in parts of central Italy, panzanella is a Tuscan salad typically consisting of tomatoes, bread, onions and sometimes basil drenched in a nice vinaigrette of good quality olive oil and vinegar. Ina Garten put a Greek twist to her panzanella recipe by adding feta cheese, cucumbers and Kalamata olives. We further tweaked it, using our basil infused olive oil and our red wine vinegar, and the result was outstanding. Not a lot of effort or technique required in the kitchen and it easily serves a party of 8 as a side dish or 5-6 for a healthy main course at lunch. Experiment (did someone say jalapenos?) and let us know how it turns out!
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 tablespoons Olive This! Basil Olive Oil
- 6 cups ¾-inch cubed rustic bread
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and sliced ¼-inch thick (see recipe directions)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and large diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and large diced
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ red onion, sliced thinly in half- or quarter-rounds
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup Olive This! Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup Olive This! Basil Olive Oil
DIRECTIONS
Cut rustic bread into ¾-inch cubes. Set aside.
Heat the 3 tablespoons of basil olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the 6 cups of bread cubes, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Stir together lightly to coat evenly and cook until nicely browned, tossing frequently, for about 5-10 minutes. Add more olive oil as needed.
While the bread cubes are browning, prepare the vegetables. Seed and remove ribs from the yellow and red peppers. Dice peppers to about 1-inch pieces. Thinly slice the red onion into quarter-round slices. Cut the cucumber in half crosswise then again lengthwise. Take each quarter of the cucumber and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Chop cucumbers into about ¼-inch slices. Halve the tomatoes and mince or press the garlic cloves.
To a large salad bowl, add the diced red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and sliced red onions.
For the vinaigrette, pour the ¼ cup red wine vinegar into a small bowl. Add the 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together well. Slowly add the ½ cup basil olive oil in a steady stream while whisking to make an emulsion.
Add the ½ cup Kalamata olives, ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese, the vinaigrette, and the browned bread cubes. Lightly toss to combine well and let the salad sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Add any salt and pepper to taste and serve at room temperature! Enjoy!
MAKES 6-8 SERVINGS
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