Panzanella Salad
Bring on the season of salads.
We love salad. Salad is such a staple in our household and it always has been ever since I could remember. I never had the perception of salad being boring or bland because my mother was so adventurous in her salad add-ons and combinations. I was always questioned at school in what my lunch box held - why are there strawberries amongst salad leaves? Why do you have raw carrots or slices of bread with dressing on it? How come you have no sweets or even salad in packets?
After a while of hearing this - and you know how long a child is within the schooling system - it became numb to my ears. Although that is needless to say, why at the time I would question these choices with my mum. But it’s what she had and so it seemed very normal. My lunches changed daily. The fun part of school was finding out what configurations and alterations were made from yesterday’s food to form today’s edible masterpiece. Or, in fact, what completely new and unique meal laid awaiting my ever needy stomach.
Healthy food, salad, things not pre packaged don’t have to be boring. Salad has such a broad meaning - warm, cold, crunchy, flaky, raw, grainy, salty, sweet (omg!), nutty, tastes of the ocean or the land, smells a potent (Italian cheese… what can we say), fruity, fresh, herby, tangy, a lot, a little, but my favourite… a salad containing mine (and my father’s may I add) most loved food on the planet. Bread.
So welcome to the somewhat traditional Italian Panzanella Salad. This follows the basis of traditional panzenella salad but as we have learnt, all salads have the flexibility of a young ballerina. It can be morphed, bend and twisted to work with current pantry availability, personal tastes and cravings.
The most important and essential ingredients in this salad are;
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Old or stale sourdough bread
Sea salt and freshly crack black pepper
Tomatoes
Red Onion
These ingredients give this salad the flavours, textures and uniqueness it requires and deserves. Because everything is it’s raw form (apart from the bread I guess) means the structure within the salad is build through the quality of olive oil, salt and pepper. If you do not like raw onion, as I know many people don’t - can you believe that with all the variety of salads I was given in my lunches, raw onion was never included as my mother never liked the taste - you can used pickled red onion or omit if onion is not your thang at all.
Broaden the stereotypical concept of the term salad to give it your own spin, uniqueness or even what cha got on hand. They certainly offer the basis for a very creatively fluid and gastronomically exciting endeavour. Pop your chefs hat on and let’s cook (without really having to really cook or stay in the kitchen for more than 30 minutes).
Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
3 slices old sourdough bread, roughly torn
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved (can use mixed colours)
1 tbsp capers
2 stalks basil, removed from the stem
1 handful fresh arugula
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 ball mozzarella, torn (optional)
Himalayan Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Method
On a lined baking tray, scatter the bread pieces and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes or until the bread dries out and turns crusty but not toasted or that similar to croutons. Remove from the oven and leave too cool.
Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, vinegar and pinch of salt and pepper in a small jar or bowl - jar is easier as you can place the lid on and shake but alternatively whisking in a bowl does the trick. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the bread, onion, tomatoes and capers (as well as the mozzarella if you are using). Drizzle over the dressing.
When serving, add the herbs (basil and arugula) and mix well. Serve with salt and pepper on the side as well as extra basil on top.
