Salad days -

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?

Cool, healthy bowls for hot, humid days -

 

Who wants to turn their oven on these hot evenings?  

Not me that's for certain.  

I would prefer an easy to make, and eat, salad in a chilled bowl 

along with a glass of beautiful pale pink rosé.

Above, just a Caesar salad with additions - farm fresh boiled eggs, potatoes, 

radishes, finely chopped scallions. Homemade croutons and an extra

 crunchy slice of grilled bread rubbed with olive oil and garlic. 

I toss my croutons and sliced bread together in the same skillet for ease.

Tip: If you shop at LIDI try the cheese rolls from the bakery.

Just one will serve two and give you enough croutons, plus two slices,

and they are delicious. They are also fabulous for panini 

sandwiches, light and crispy - cheese and tomato with 

some fresh torn basil is my favorite.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Oven roast your vegetables, chopped in 1" cubes, for about 30 minutes on a

 cooler day - preferably early morning when heat from the oven is tolerable.

I love eggplant, red and orange bell peppers, zucchini and red onion.

Boil and drain your pasta at the same time then by evening when constructing

your bowl, everything will be cool, no heat required. 

If you would like to have the complete recipe go here to Sprouted Kitchen

where Sara has adapted Ina Garten's original Roasted Vegetable Orzo recipe - and

 of course I then tweaked my own version. You will love what Sara comes up with in

 her kitchen, and if you don't already follow her, you should!

Happy days in a cooler Summer kitchen. . . . . . yes, today is

the first day of Summer!