Saturday, August 4, 2012

Panzanella -- Tuscan Bread Salad

(a variation on a recipe I got from the chefs at BTC)

Salad:
6 C mixed baby greens
6 C bread, cut to ½" cubes and lightly toasted
   (it's okay, even good, if it's a little stale)
1 C red, green and/or yellow pepper, ½" diced
½ yellow onion, ½" diced
2 C tomato, ½" diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2+ Tbls pine nuts, toasted, salt & pepper to taste
3-4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2-3 Tbls fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 Tbls chives, cut to ½" lengths

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 oz red wine vinegar
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grain mustard
1 tsp minced shallot
½ C olive oil
1 Tbls herbs (basil and/or chives, parsley, rosemary, sage, etc.)
salt & pepper to taste

Combine vinegars, mustard and shallots. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in herbs. Set aside.

Sauté garlic, peppers and onions just to soften (3-4 minutes). Reduce heat. Add bread, tomatoes, pine nuts and enough dressing to coat the mixture. Toss in basil and season with salt & pepper. 

Toss greens with remaining dressing, and spread over a serving platter. Top with warm bread mixture. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and chives.

1 comment:

heresolong said...

That looks really good. Going to have to try it soon here.