In honor of The Dark Knight, I am NaNaNaNaNaing all around the kitchen.
And, of course, the song.
After going to a blockbuster summer movie, a show stopping summery salad would be most welcome.
Panzanella is an Italian bread and tomato salad. If you have never had panzanella, it might not sound so great.
Ah, but it is.
The slightly stale bread soaks up the flavors of the oil and vinegar. The tomatoes and basil shine. I love the addition of the olives and capers in this version. Fantastic.
Panzanella
Ingredients:
2 lbs tomatoes
12 oz ciabatta bread, 2 to 3 days old
2/3 cup plus 4 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil, plus whole sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup capers
1 cup roasted red bell pepper strips
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
Directions:
1. Chop tomatoes.
2. Cut most of the crusts off the bread. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of the oil, 1/4 cup of vinegar, garlic and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper to blend. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes and sliced basil. Toss to combine.
4. Set aside until the bread absorbs the vinaigrette, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a small bowl, soak the capers in the remaining 2 Tbs vinegar for 10 minutes. Drain.
6. In another small bowl toss the roasted peppers with 2 Tbs of the oil. Season the peppers with 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.
7. Transfer half of the bread mixture to a 13×9 glass baking dish. Arrange half of the peppers, capers and olives over the bread mixture. Repeat layering with remaining bread mixture, peppers, capers and olives. Cover and let stand at room temperature for an hour for the flavors to blend. You can let stand for up to 4 hours.
8. Drizze the remaining 2 Tbs of olive oil over the salad. Garnish with basil sprigs and serve.
Serves 6 as a side dish
Recipe from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis
Panzanella is a favorite of Samuel from Faster Glenn. So, I’m definitely going to play a song of theirs.
Fast and fun. I love dancing around to this one.
Faster Glenn-Somewhat Naive
Check out Faster Glenn on the band’s Website and Myspace page. You can buy the music here.
Cheers!
