Summer is closing up shop and soon farmers will be ushering in a whole new crop of Fall. Ok, not SO soon, but kids are back in school and vacation is now a credit card statement, if you even had one. Another tip-off that Summer is coming to a close: TJ Max no longer has a swimsuit isle and I can't find a pair of weird "lake shoes" anywhere; you know the kind: gummy, spongy shoes you wear to wade through the slime on your way to the speedboat? Looks like I'll be wearing my Chacos, circa 2000... Because the real reminder that Fall is upon us is Labor Day Weekend; the final hurrah before you are reminded, once again, of how hard American workers' labor for... That's another blog...So, in an attempt to distract you from the inevitable season change, I thought I would share the simplest salad celebrating Summer's tomato and basil. And don't wait to try this, in fact, make it this weekend. If you wait too long, you may need a can opener...
Tuscan Bread Salad ~ Panzanella
An Italian Tuscan classic, panzanella makes use of hearty leftover bread and very ripe tomatoes; so ripe, the Italians are known to crush them in their hands over torn, dry bread. I added quite a few more steps and surprised myself by how well my stovetop approach worked.
It was too hot to heat the oven so I detoured and heated my iron "grill" skillet in the hopes that it would make the dryest, toastiest bread chunks; a necessity for this salad. And it worked! The bread was perfectly toasted with a lovely char; ready for juicy tomatoes and a garlicky vinaigrette.
It was too hot to heat the oven so I detoured and heated my iron "grill" skillet in the hopes that it would make the dryest, toastiest bread chunks; a necessity for this salad. And it worked! The bread was perfectly toasted with a lovely char; ready for juicy tomatoes and a garlicky vinaigrette.
Here she is...
early girls again, awash with basil, ready to be dried
a hearty loaf of sourdough bread, crusts shaved down
save the crusts, they add a nice heft and crunch to the juicy salad
save the crusts, they add a nice heft and crunch to the juicy salad
olive oil and a garlic clove pounded together
dress the torn bread with the olive oil and garlic in a bowl
prepare for "grilling"
the skillet should be heated 10 minutes before, rub the hot skillet with oil and toast the bread
the bread shavings at the bottom of the bowl should not be wasted and add great texture; fry in a pan and don't forget to toast the crusts too
the toasted tray ready for mixing
core and quarter ripe tomatoes, the more ripe the better
save a couple tomatoes and shave on a grater, saving the tomato juice
shaved, juiced tomatoes
crush a sliver of garlic clove with one tablespoon of red wine vinegar, juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper; and stream in two tablespoons of good olive oil, to make a vinaigrette
sticky black olives and basil are a nice addition to the bowl with the bread and tomatoes
spoon the shaved tomato over the bread then combine
spoon the vinaigrette over the salad and toss
che brava!
and with this guy ~ perfecto!
and great as a leftover
and even better:
bake in the oven like stuffing(!)
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