Panzella is best made with rustic old bread; a loaf of French or Italian will work. It's a great bread salad that uses up odds and ends in your fridge or pantry. Add some green beans, spinach, cucumber, pine nuts... perhaps some salami. Its a party salad! And you can use up your day-old bread.
Ingredients
16 oz bread, roughly torn and chopped up into 1 1/2" pcs
1 fresh corn cob or 5 oz canned corn, drained
Vinaigrette
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp garlic and herb mix
3-4 tomatoes, chopped in 1/2" pcs
tt salt and pepper
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp capers
1-2 balls fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
tt basil, chiffonade or other fresh herb
Instructions
Read Susie's Tips and Tricks below
1. Roughly cut and tear bread into fork-size pieces. I used a knife to start the tear. I like a rustic cut. Place on a cookie sheet and Broil, watching carefully. Turn bread over a few times, and let caramelize on many sides. Place in a large bowl that's good for tossing.
2. Cut corn kernels from cob and place in a hot dry pan. Let them blacken a bit here and there, then set aside.
3. Mix water, vinegar, mustard, and garlic together.
4. Add tomatoes (sprinkled with salt and pepper), corn, onion, capers, then carefully toss. Splatter 3-4 tbsp of the vinaigrette all over the bread. Move the bread around and repeat with more of the vinaigrette. You will use around 3/4 cup total.
5. Add the fresh mozzarella and basil. Let sit 10 minutes and serve.
Susie's Tips and Tricks
It's truly best to have rough pieces of bread. This recipe traditionally uses stale-ish unsalted bread (though salted works fine), but I think toasting works well. You want a firm bread. Don't use croutons.
If you desire, use another vinegar, one that is mild and doesn't have too strong of a bite; rice vinegar works. If necessary, modify your ratio and use a bit more water and a tad less vinegar (with a strong red wine vinegar, for example).
You may use all of the vinaigrette or a little less. Be sure and taste as you proceed. You want the bread to be soft, but just short of mushy.
If you aren't a fan of raw onion, take the bite out of it by soaking in cold water and a dash of vinegar.
Salting the tomatoes brings out the juices and gives the salad great flavour.
You can add bacon, peas, some cooked Italian sausage, Feta cheese, white beans, perhaps some spinach, even some shrimp. Use what you have on hand.
Comments