June 13-15 Panzanella Salad

June 13     Panzanella Salad with a suppeworks pork tenderloin
June 14     I had h'orderves and Little Shack had a pulled pork sandwich and pie   
June 15     poutine for Little Shack and the worst green curry on earth for me from food court

I know that Dianne made a panzanella salad last month but she made a greek panzanella salad so they are a bit different and I thought this one was worth sharing too. Instead of using a more classic loaf of crusty bread, I chose to use this middle eastern whole wheat flat bread. I love the texture of it and it toasts up really nicely. I wish I could tell you what this bread is called but the writing on the bag is in what appears to be arabic or something and all it says in english is Whole Wheat and At Your Service Since 1993, which isn't much help but reassuring, none the less.

I just stumbled upon this Food.com website when I googled for a recipe. The coolest thing about this  web site is that you can adjust the recipe based on how many servings you want to make and it recalculates the measurements. This original recipe was for 12 and I wanted to make it for 3 or 4. That's pretty darned cool.

My Panzanella Salad
adapted from this recipe by Barefoot Contessa

a 4 cup measuring cup full of bread cubes ( I used a middle easter flatbread that is like a foccacia)
1 tbls olive oil
pinch kosher salt

1/2 small red pepper, roasted and chopped *
1/2 small yellow pepper, roasted and chopped *
1/2 small orange pepper, roasted and chopped *
2 small yellow tomatoes, chopped

10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
100 grams boccaccini

vinaigrette
whisk together:
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp tarragon riesling mustard
1 tbls red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch kosher salt
couple grinds of pepper

Heat a sauté pan over med low heat and throw in the bread, 1 tbls of olive oil and salt. Cook for at least ten minutes, tossing frequently, until the bread is starting to get all crisp and brown.

When it's time to make the salad, mix the toasted bread, the peppers, the tomatoes, cucumbers, boccaccini, basil and the toss with the vinaigrette. It's up to you whether you eat it right away with the bread remaining quite crispy or if you prefer to let it sit for half and hour and the bread will start to absorb the liquids and soften up. Before you serve it taste it again and adjust the seasonings, add more vinegar or oil if needed. I find it tastes much different after it has sat for a while.

* if you don't have roasted peppers on hand, take your peppers, cut them in half, get rid of the stem and seeds. Lay them on a foil or parchment lined baking tray, brush them with olive oil and roast them in a 450F oven until the skin starts to blacken, at least 35 to 45 minutes. Keep an eye on them after half an hour. When that happens, remove them from the oven and put them in a paper lunch bag or any other bowl or container with a tight fitting lid so they can sort of steam. After they cool in there, removed them  and rub and peel off all of the skin (it can be easier to do this under some cool running water)