Panzanella Salad With Champagne Vinaigrette

Panzanella means "little swamp" in Italian. It's your basic summer garden salad with homemade Italian croutons. Toast baguette pieces with garlic olive oil, toss your salad greens in a tangy, champagne vinaigrette. Serve with some kind of sharp Italian cheese. Arrange on a nice long dish and lay the bread chunks over the bed of salad greens. Be generous with the bread so people can pick at it before they dig in to the salad.

Ingredients:

Mesclun greens, a large bag or tubful

Ripe tomato - 2 small ones, or one large, halfed and then sliced

Red onion - 1 small, or half a large one, sliced thinly

Cucumber - 1 large or 2 small

Day-old baguette

1 garlic clove

Olive oil, let's say a cup and a half. We'll be using this to soak the bread as well as dress the salad.

Sharp Italian cheese such as Asiago or aged Provolone

Champagne vinegar

Dijon mustard

A touch of honey or sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Tear the baguette into chunks. In a bowl, combine olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and soak the bread in this mixture for a few minutes. Lay the soaked bread pieces on a baking pan and toast in the heated oven until golden brown. Remove from oven.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, champagne vinegar, dijon mustard and a touch of honey or sugar. Do not be discouraged that I've not included amounts. Instead, let your tastebuds be your guide to a great dressing. Add salt and pepper as ncessary. Once you're happy with the taste of your vinaigrette, let it stand for about a half hour so the flavors can settle together.

Take out another large bowl, pour in some of the vinaigrette and then add your Mesclun greens. Use your fingers to scrunch the greens together so they blend well with the dressing. Add cucumber, ripe tomato and red onion and gently toss. Transfer to a long, flat serving plate.

Shave bits of the aged Italian cheese over top of the salad. Arrange chunks of bread generously around the plate of greens.

Serves 6-8.

Submitted by:

Bob Giolitto
http://bobbyslogos.com

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