Panzanella

Panzanella. Pannnnzzzzanelllllllaaaaaaaaa. Salad, but take out the lettuce and multiply the croutons. I've always liked the idea of a panzanella, and figured it would make a good picnic item. So since there are a lot of things to do in LA where you can bring a picnic, its something I make fairly frequently. The one I'm posting is a new creation, although after doing some googling, it appears might be somewhat a traditional panzanella. I have no idea, I am in no way italian. If you are, leave a comment and let me know how wrong I am.

Anyway, this came from taking a caprese salad and putting it into a panzanella. I made something with just the vinaigrette, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, but it was missing something. So in reworking it, I decided to add the red onion and the olives, I think it was the salt from the olives that was missing the first time. 

Panzanella Salad

Panzanella Ingredients

• 1 Loaf quality whole wheat bread 
• (I used La Brea Bakery)
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 pt grape tomatoes, halved
• 15 or so kalamata olives, copped
• Fresh mozzarella (I used almost an entire container of boconccini, which are the small balls marinated with italian herbs)
• 10 basil leaves, cut in long thin strips "chiffonade"
• 10 tbs olive oil

Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• pinch crushed red pepper

1. Dice the bread into bite sized pieces.   Over medium high heat, add 3 tbs olive oil in a deep sided pot.  Toss in about half of the diced bread, and leave to cook for a few minutes.  Stir and let sit again.  Its important that you cook the bread as much as possible, resist the urge to stir it and let it get really golden.  The more you cook it now, the more it will absorb the vinaigrette.   You may use add a little more oil here if the pan gets too dry.  Once the first batch is done, pour into a large bowl.  Re-oil pan and add remaining bread.  
2. While the second batch of bread is browning, make the vinaigrette.  Start with balsamic vinegar and garlic in a medium bowl.  Whisk frequently and stream in the olive oil slowly, it should take you about 3 or so minutes, pinch in the red pepper.  
3. Pour the vinaigrette slowly over the warm croutons.  Add onion, grape tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and basil leaves and toss.  
4. Let the salad stand at room temperature for about an hour, tossing once or twice.  You can serve it as is, or refrigerate up to overnight.  As it sits. the bread takes on more of the flavors and it becomes, well kind of amazing.  Longer than that and the tomatoes become inedibly mushy.

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