Panzanella

Annnndddd..... I'm back. I've been trying a bunch of new recipes, but a number of them have been so mediocre that I felt it would be a disservice to share. (Maybe I'll throw together an outtakes post...)

Others have been placed in a "made, but not blogged" file, to remake, photograph, and share because they were delicious, but I just didn't get a chance to capture their loveliness with the camera.

But this, my friends, was a lovely summer salad that I had to share immediately. This was dinner tonight and was the perfect way to use up some farm market veggies. Imagine this: Crusty ciabatta croutons infused with a Dijon and garlic champagne vinaigrette, tossed with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, yellow peppers and a sprinkling of fresh basil.

Summer on a plate. Divine.

Panzanella

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• ½ loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 1" cubes (approx. 3 cups)
• 1½ Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 medium, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 cucumber, unpeeled, and seeded, sliced ½" thick
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded cut into 1" cubes
• ¼ red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 10 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped or julianned

For the vinaigrette:

• ½ tsp. finely minced garlic
• ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1½ Tbsp. champagne (or white wine) vinegar
• ¼ c. good olive oil
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400º. Toss bread cubes with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper and bake for 8-9 minutes, stirring cubes halfway through baking. Set aside.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all ingredients together.

In a large bowl, combine the vegetables and basil. Add bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about a half hour to allow the flavors to blend.

Source: adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties!