It's just too hot to cook.
The name of this delicious, easy to make traditional Tuscan summer salad is panzanella.
I used to always make the authentic Italian version where you soak the bread in water.
When you see it being made, the bowl of wet bread is somewhat unappetizing!
In the picturesque hills of Tuscany, leftover bread is used in many dishes such as
bruschetta, crostini, and the wonderful Ribollita soup I enjoy making in winter.
Panzanella salad is one of the mainstays of the long and languid summer
luncheon, or supper under a pergola in a flower-filled garden.
The quality of the ingredients are what make it delicious.
This is my latest version which I think is the best one I've tried to date.
Certainly delicious with the freshly picked and shared tomatoes from my
neighbor's garden.
I no longer soak the stale ciabatta bread in water - instead I cut it into 1" cubes,
spread on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Bake at 425 degrees until dried out and pale golden brown, about 7-10 mins.
These crunchy croutons don't go too mushy and fall apart when tossed with the
other ingredients - and I even set a few aside to add to any first day leftovers for
a fresh crunch next time around!
The rest is basic but with the addition of fresh mozzarella which can make it
a main dish salad. It keeps well in the fridge for a day or so.
The weekend was very hot and humid here so we didn't go from the house for a
picnic! No beautiful, scenic photos from the countryside to share - perhaps we'll
plan that for when it cools down, we have more energy, no afternoon storms pop
up, and the mosquitoes are gone. I'm covered in bites just from my own garden
(even though I 'bathe' in repellant!), that's enough to make me miserable and
want to stay indoors. . . . . . . . preparing salads, eating ice cream, drinking
chilled wine!
Orzo pasta with, roasted summer veggies, toasted pine nuts, and feta cheese.
Classic Caesar with hard-boiled eggs.
Grilled veggies always come in handy - great hot off the fire,
even better later added to pastas and salads.
Are you enjoying summer salads?
What's your favorite?
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Yours look delicious. I think I could eat salad all year round. During the years through and after the War, my mother was ahead of her time in being a 'gatherer'. We often had salads with dandelion leaves and edible flowers.
ReplyDeleteI like fruit mixed with salad too.
As I scrolled down your post my heart was saying "stop, stop" enough!
ReplyDeleteSo many delicious things to eat had me quickly taking a mental inventory of the contents of my fridge and realising there were two salads I could try today without even heading to the grocery store. Missing ingredients will be added to my shopping list for later in the week.
Thank you, dear lady, for revitalising my salad days repertoire.
Thanks also for identifying the flower in my garden that Lorrie asked about. I had already found a photo of it on google but didn't know it's full title was Japanese anemone.
Thanks for identifying the flower, Mary. It is so pretty.
DeleteWhat a delicious line up of Summer salads, perfect for your current heat wave. Meanwhile, we are shivering in our short sharp Winter, and choosing hot soup! I have had Panzanella salad at Italian restaurants, and enjoyed it very much. However, have never tried making it. You sure make it look quick and easy :) xx
ReplyDeleteDear Mary,
ReplyDeleteIt all looks so delicious, both your Panzanella and your roasted vegetables. It's been very hot here, as well and ice cream has been on my menu.
I do love salads in the summer. I like to grill my romaine lettuce when making a Caesar in the summer. I also love chilled soups. Today I am making gazpacho.
ReplyDeleteYumm!!! I would gladly join you indoors, with all your lovely salads, the ice cream and the chilled wine! Mozzies aren't as bad this year here (it is too dry to leave them much breeding grounds), but wasps are very much of a nuisance this year. I have so far managed not to be stung but they really keep me from enjoying food or even just a drink outdoors.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite salad these days is baby spinach leaves, feta cheese, red or yellow pepper, maybe some cuke and a mix of fruit & nuts, such as walnuts, cashew and raisins or almonds and cranberries.
I agree - grilled veggies are super, no matter whether they come straight from the fire or are left to cool down and added to a dish later.
We eat a lot of salads in the summer, too. I have to say, yours are picture perfect! You make a beautiful presentation. I made your tomato galette the other night for dinner (I just posted about it on my blog!) and served with fresh corn on the cob (I don't put the corn in the galette) and a bottle of chilled rose. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love salads and would eat them all summer but my husband has to have his meat. He says it's a mid-western thing. So I have to keep reminding him we live in the Mediterranean. All your salads look delicious. I love anything with orzo in it.
ReplyDeleteHave never heard of this salad before. Wet bread...hmmm...I am making a pasta salad for lunch.
ReplyDeleteI am copying each of these images and going to make the Panzanella this evening! Thank you and stay cool. My son is being tested for covid as he had several of the symptoms. The wait is 10 days post test .... already he is feeling a bit better and I wonder if there is really any point.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks delicious Mary .... my kind of food. I would eat salad everyday. Love orzo too ..... Ina Garten dies a lovely one with prawns and feta. It’s been in the high 30’s here over the past few days so your dishes are perfect. XXXX
ReplyDeleteIt's almost bedtime here, but all of a sudden I have a craving for salad! What a delicious assortment you've featured. I ate a Fattoush Salad at a Lebanese restaurant in Barcelona last October (when we could travel - those were the days) that I've been wanting to replicate. It also has bread in it. I like the idea of toasting the croutons rather than soaking them in water. Tomatoes are not yet ripe here - they are slower than they have ever been and everyone is bemoaning the fact.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a cool summer here and I would welcome a bit of heat. Take care, Mary.
Your salads sound perfect for this hot weather. Funny, I made orzo tonight as we are very low on groceries since I returned from the lake yesterday. I wish I had a good "bite" of feta, but I dressed it simply with olive oil, sweet cherry size yellow tomatoes, and some white beans. Not the best flavors but I try to make do.I'm so happy and grateful that a neighbor nearby at the lake moved and left a gorgeous vegetable garden. He told everyone to take part of his bounty. he was good! I have a larger basket of all sorts of tomatoes of many varieties, and jalapeño and banana peppers. We are in heaven doing so many things with them; simply slicing them up with salt and pepper, or in a salad! Next year I am determined to plant my own!
ReplyDeleteStay as busy as you can if it keeps your mind off the heat, storms and challenging times, or take the relaxed route and stretch out in a cool place with a magazine and book. Also--a big tall iced tea!
Jane ❤️
Jane
Hi Jane!!
DeleteYour salads look sooooo good.
ReplyDeleteI had the hardest time finding orzo at the market, but finally did. I think this week will be a good week for an orzo salad.