Fun Food

Today’s offering is a recipe I have recently developed. Enjoy!



Panzanella

I was inspired by The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten for this recipe. I could not resist the temptation to twist and tweak things to my liking, however.

Salad:
Extra virgin olive oil
1 small French loaf, cut into ½ inch cubes
3 home gown, ripe roma tomatoes
3 baby seedless cucumbers
½ red pepper, diced into 1 inch pieces
½ yellow pepper, diced into 1 inch pieces
½ red onion, chopped into ½ inch pieces
10 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Vinaigrette:
1 tsp. finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 tbs. Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Layer the bread cubes on a baking sheet. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Watch carefully as bread browns and then burns quickly.

Mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, and basil. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to sit for up to 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.