Easy-does-it Late Summer Panzanella
August 16th, 2010
Before I forget, this recipe involves a fair amount of chopping and I’ve been despising my kitchen knives as of late. In the coming weeks I’ll be reviewing some new Victorinox knives from CSN stores – they’re a big consortium of shopping sites selling kitchen stuff, dining room sets, baby cribs, you name it.
Anyway, you know all those things you’ve been putting off until fall? For me it’s been painting the spare room, starting some new projects for my business and signing up for a plethora of birthing, diapering and breast feeding classes.
Ah, yes. It will all happen in September. A mere 2 weeks until total productivity. (We’ll see…)
Until then, I know my cooking motivation is still on summer break. Is yours? Because I have 2 black bananas in the fridge just wishing to be made into banana bread so if you’d like to come on by and grab ‘em they’re all yours!
However I was knocked out with inspiration when I saw a recipe online for panzanella. This is a perfect way to use up CSA veggies and not turn on the oven. Panzanella is an Italian bread salad – but don’t let the word “bread” scare you because it’s definitely not the main player in this dish. I used a sprouted whole grain boule but you could use millet bread or some other gluten-free variety. You could also leave out the bread entirely and still feel full because I’ve added beans to this version. My favorite thing about panzanella? It’s great hot, cold or anywhere in between. Feel free to experiment with ingredients and make plenty for leftovers.
Easy-does-it Late Summer Panzanella
This recipe serves 6-8.
6 cups cubed bread
1 tsp. salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, sliced thin
3 red, orange or yellow bell peppers, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
12 oz. green beans, chopped
1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
2 cans Eden butter beans, drained (or other white beans)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
For dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Heat 2 Tbl. oil in a large pan and cook onions until soft and starting to brown. Add half of the garlic, cook until golden. Transfer to a large bowl. Prepare all other vegetables and add to bowl. In a blender or food processor, combine ingredients for dressing and set aside.
In same large pan, heat 2 Tbl. oil on medium heat, then add bread and salt. Stir often and add more oil if needed, until bread begins to toast on all sides. Add bread to bowl. Pour dressing over salad and mix to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it marinate a few minutes while you prepare the beans.
Finally, in the same pan, heat 2 Tbl. oil and add the rest of the garlic, beans and crushed red pepper. Cook until garlic is golden and beans are warmed through.
To serve, scoop beans onto plate and top with a generous portion of panzanella.
This recipe is a fantastic example of what I mean by “clean, real food.” It’s delicious and doesn’t take long to prepare at all. Interested in learning more about feeding yourself this way? Ready to prioritize your health? Well, you just gotta join me this September then! I’m really looking forward to working with another great group from all over the country!
See, everything awesome is gonna happen in September. Except panzanella. Make that now.
