My parents came to visit over the Fourth of July holiday, and prior to heading out to the waterski show and Independence Day fireworks at Boom Lake/Hodag Park on Thursday night, we enjoyed a picnic dinner outside by our lake. D manned the grill while I put together the side dishes. Our dinner included hamburgers (featuring local grass-fed ground beef from McLaughlin Family Farms) with all the fixins', my Dad's famous potato salad, sangria, and a panzanella salad. This salad is so good that it was the second time I'd made it in one week. The great thing about it is that all it takes is a little chopping and shaking to put it all together. I am definitely a crouton-lover, so the addition of grilled French bread chunks was right up my alley. The vinaigrette adds a fresh and tangy flavor to the salad and helps to meld all the flavors together. I think this salad tastes just as good the next day as it does when it's freshly made; the French bread cubes are definitely not as crisp on day two (or three, or four...), but what they lose in texture is more than made up for by the gain in flavor from the dressing.
Greek Panzanella Salad (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings as a side dish
For the salad:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 French bread loaf, cut in half
coarse sea salt
1 cucumber, peeled and quartered
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, diced (to reduce the onion's sharp bite, rinse in cold water then drain)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pitted kalamata or black olives, chopped
For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1. Use a pastry brush to spread the olive oil over both sides of the cut bread. Sprinkle the bread with coarse sea salt. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Let cool, then cut into 1" chunks.
2. In a large serving bowl, stir together the cucumber, red pepper, orange pepper, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and olives. Add in the chunks of grilled bread.
3. In a small jar, add together the garlic, oregano, ground sumac, mustard, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the lid to the jar and shake to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour about 3 tablespoons of the dressing onto the salad and stir. (Or, if you like tons of dressing, feel free to use it all; I prefer a lighter touch.) Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors time to meld together.
(adapted from this Barefoot Contessa recipe, found via Shutterbean)
makes 6-8 servings as a side dish
For the salad:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 French bread loaf, cut in half
coarse sea salt
1 cucumber, peeled and quartered
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, diced (to reduce the onion's sharp bite, rinse in cold water then drain)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pitted kalamata or black olives, chopped
For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1. Use a pastry brush to spread the olive oil over both sides of the cut bread. Sprinkle the bread with coarse sea salt. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Let cool, then cut into 1" chunks.
2. In a large serving bowl, stir together the cucumber, red pepper, orange pepper, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and olives. Add in the chunks of grilled bread.
3. In a small jar, add together the garlic, oregano, ground sumac, mustard, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the lid to the jar and shake to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour about 3 tablespoons of the dressing onto the salad and stir. (Or, if you like tons of dressing, feel free to use it all; I prefer a lighter touch.) Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors time to meld together.
(adapted from this Barefoot Contessa recipe, found via Shutterbean)
No comments:
Post a Comment