Summertime Panzanella
Traditionally made with stale bread, tomatoes, onions, and basil, summertime is the best time to prepare panzanella. Don’t skip the homemade croutons; they are irreplaceable in this dish. Ingredients with an asterisk (*) are available seasonally right here in North Iowa! Click on select ingredients to find them nearby or stop by your local farmer’s market.
Equipment
- Oven
- Large Bowl
- Jar
- Kitchen Knife
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion* sliced
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 4 cup croutons from stale bread*, hand-torn into 1" pieces. See tips below.
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes* stemmed and chopped in half or quarters
- 2 large tomato* ripe, chopped
- 2 cucumbers* peeled and sliced
- 16 basil* torn
- flaky sea salt to taste
- microgreens* optional
Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing
- 4 tbsp shallots or onions* chopped
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 large tomatoes* ripe
- 4 basil* torn
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic* smashed
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Prepare the croutons: Using leftover bread (sourdough or other), tear the bread into about 1 inch pieces. Spread the bread pieces on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for about 12 minutes, until crisp.
- Toss the sliced red onion with the vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes (called maceration). Meanwhile, prepare the dressing (see below).
- In a large salad bowl, place half of the croutons and toss with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette. Place all of your tomatoes on top and salt generously. This will encourage the liquids out of the tomato. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add rest of croutons, cucumbers, onions. Toss and add vinaigrette until texture is satisfying. Taste and adjust salt + pepper as necessary. Serve.
Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing
- In a jar, let the shallot or onion sit in the vinegars for 15 minutes (called maceration).
- Cut your tomato through its equator and grate it into a large bowl then add to shallots. Add remainder of ingredients and shake well. Let sit for 10 minutes and then remove the garlic clove.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to two days.
Video
Notes
Adapted from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat.
Nutrition
Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 160mgPotassium: 675mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1539IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
