Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Getting more comfortable with the new camera. Found that it works much better on the "closeup" setting than on the "food" setting. Will try again in natural light, should I ever get up and cook before dark.



Traditional Panzanella recipes suggest rubbing a peeled, halved garlic clove all over the inside of the bowl, and all over the spoon. I skipped this, because I bought some roasted garlic Italian bread from the Wedge, and it had huge chunks of garlic throught the whole loaf. I cut it up and dried it, then soaked the pieces for just a second. Now I had bread I could work with; chewy crust, soft bread.

This is a very comforting salad. Little bit of baby greens, marinated veggies, chunks of rustic bread, and a salty, olive oil based dressing. Tomatoes and basil are a must. I made it very quickly.

Dressing
for two salads

1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
salt & pepper to taste

Whisk until blended.

This would also be good with vegan tuna, roasted red peppers, sweet onion, and olives. I just used what I had on hand. It was worth running out in the cold and coming dangerously close to dealing with Holidazzle crowds to pick up basil.

Tomorrow: Iron Chef: Battle Cranberries. Stay tuned!