Peace and Love in the Kitchen

Serves 6-8

This recipe is a combination of two classic staples on the summer Italian table:  panzanella and tomatoes caprese. Traditional panzanella is a simple mixture of sliced tomatoes, torn day old bread, onion, basil, olive oil, and wine vinegar.  It is peasant food; farmers used to take it with them out into the fields for breakfast. Tomatoes caprese is a plate of sliced tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella cheese and basil. Here, they are served as one salad; the panzanella mounded on top of the tomatoes caprese.

It is a beautiful union; a tomato extravaganza where the flavors of Summer are the starring attraction.  I served it as part of a buffet alongside slices of room temperature rosemary beef tenderloin with whole grain mustard and wedges of watermelon.  Everything could be done a couple of hours ahead of time with minimal effort.  I think that it was one of the best meals I’ve ever made.

Note:  Because I was serving a large group, it was easier to let everyone assemble their own salad from two separate platters – one panzanella, the other caprese.

Note:  Notice that both panzanella and tomatoes capresse are very simple dishes.  It is very important that you use the best tasting tomatoes you can find. Cherry tomatoes and heirloom varieties have a higher sugar content which makes them taste better.  They taste like a tomato should taste – like Summer.

Note:  What does heirloom mean? Generally, heirloom tomatoes are varieties that have been around for more than 50 years, and are reproduced from seeds.  At the store or farmers market they are not as attractive as the perfectly round and red regular types.  In fact, they can look misshapen and even hideous….but pretty is as pretty does. Heirlooms are delicious.

for croutons:

1/3 lb (about half of a large artisanal loaf) country bread, crust removed, torn by hand into rough 1-inch pieces

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, mashed and finely chopped

salt to taste

for vinaigrette:

1 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

for salad:

2 lbs (about 5-8 pints) cherry or grape tomatoes, a combination of red and yellow, halved

1/2 a medium red onion, sliced thin

2 cups small leaf basil left whole or 1 1/2 cups regular basil, chopped

2-3 large heirloom tomatoes, cored and sliced thin

sea salt

extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin rounds and then into thirds

use a bread knife to cut away most of the crust from a loaf of good country bread

1.  MAKE THE CROUTONS:   You will never be sorry for making your own croutons!  They are better than anything you could buy, and they are simple to make. Preheat the oven to 375 and place the rack in the top third of the oven. Place your torn bread on a baking sheet.  Combine butter and olive oil in a skillet and heat over MEDIUM until butter foams. Add the garlic and saute just until garlic looks soft, less than a minute. Remove skillet from heat and set it aside until it cools.  You will be smearing this mixture with your hands.  When it is cooled, pour it over the torn bread, and, using your hands, toss everything together.  You want the bread to soak up the liquid, so feel free to squeeze and massage. Toast in the oven until golden brown, tossing them once or twice, about 12-15 minutes total.

2.  MAKE VINAIGRETTE:  In a small bowl, whisk the two vinegars together with the oregano, garlic, and salt to taste. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk until emulsified.  Set aside.

3.  TOSS THE SALAD:  In a large bowl, gently toss the halved tomatoes, red onion, and basil together. Add the croutons and about 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and toss. Add more vinaigrette if needed. You want the salad to be moist but not swimming with it.

4. ASSEMBLE:  Place a few slices of heirloom tomatoes onto each plate. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Top with a few slices of the mozzarella.  Spoon a generous amount of the cherry tomato bread salad on top of that allowing for a boarder of the sliced heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella to be seen.  I wish I had a visual of that for you, but by the time I got through the buffet line, I was done with cooking and snapping photos.  I just wanted to eat! Serve.

Peace and love from my kitchen to yours,

Waverly

Tags:

• SALAD
• summer
• TOMATOES

1 comment

http://www.peaceandloveinthekitchen.com/2011/08/a-summer-birthday-dinner-part-ii-cherry-tomato-panzanella-on-a-bed-of-heirloom-tomatoes-caprese

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