Submitted by Alicyn Hart, Executive Chef
Panzanella, or Tuscan bread salad, is summer’s answer to comforting Thanksgiving stuffing. It’s filling and satisfying, but still light and fresh. Bring it along to a cookout as a dish to pass; it’s sure to trump everyone’s potato salad. Use good bread and seasonal locally-grown vegetables and make it your own.
¡Buen Provecho!
Eat well!
Recipe serves 4
Ingredients
Sourdough Bread 1 lb
Asparagus 1 lb
Shallots 1/4 cup
Bacon 4 strips
Eggs 2
White wine vinegar 1/2 cup
Sunflower oil 1 cup
Hard or semi-hard cheese 6 oz
Radishes 5
Baby kale or other salad greens 6 oz
Salt & pepper and pinch of sugar
Instructions
1. Tear bread into bite-sized pieces, crust and all. Coat with olive oil and bake on low heat until crisp.
2. Coat cleaned, trimmed asparagus spears with olive oil and season with s+p. Ready a grill and grill until slightly charred and tender.
3. Cut bacon slices into 1″ pieces. Slowly render in pan over medium heat.
4. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Turn off heat.
5. Add minced shallot to drippings, sauté lightly.
6. Add white wine vinegar and sunflower oil.
7. Toss toasted bread in dressing with baby kale greens.
8. Slice radishes thin and quick pickle them in vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and s+p.
9. Bring 3 cups do water to a boil, lower in eggs, cover and hard boil 5 minutes. Put immediately in ice bath. Peel when cool, and slice.
10. Cut asparagus spears into 1″ pieces.
11. Toss bread, greens, bacon, asparagus with dressing. Top with pickled radishes and perfectly boiled eggs.
