Roasted Red Onion Panzanella – Bread Salad

Summer heat begs for dishes like this.

Fresh, delicious, summer-ripe tomatoes,  cucumbers, red peppers, fresh mozzerella, fresh basil and roasted red onions mixed in with crispy bread that is just beginning to soak in a bit of homemade vinegraitte dressing.

My heirloom tomatoes are popping out all over my yard so I am looking daily for scrumptious recipes to put them in.

Panzanella, or Bread Salad, as some may call it, will become a staple recipe around my house.  I made it last night, and have been thinking about it all day today.  I think I’ve made it pretty well-known that I adore Bruschetta, and this is kind of like Bruschetta-in-a-bowl.  The flavors zing together in a flavorful harmony that make your eyes close and your tastebuds tingle with happiness.

Panzanella is of Tuscan origin.  Bread in Tuscany used to be made without salt (to protest the Medici salt monopoly) and became stale very quickly. This recipe became popular during tomato season, as the fresh-picked tomato juices softened the bread in the salad and made it salvagable.  You can make this salad with stale bread or simply toast it as I’ve done.

To begin, take one medium-large size red onion.  Slice it through from root end to the top end of the onion.  Then cut wedges in the same direction (root to top).  Cut about 8 wedges.  The results you want are thin onion petals.  (I forgot to take pictures of this step…sorry!)  Toss the onion petals in about 1/4 cup of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on a lined baking sheet and put in a 350º oven for 20 minutes.  Take out, flip all the onion wedges over for another 20 minutes.  The onions should be carmelizing and browning on the outside and white and creamy on the inside.

Take each wedge off the foil and slice off the ends and peel off the paper outside.  Toss them into a large bowl.

Now mind you, I could take a fork and eat these right now.  But i’ll wait for the glory that’s to come.

Toast your bread cubes.  Cut 1/2 loaf of french bread into 1 inch cubes.

Toss them onto your lined baking sheet (I used the same one I used for the onions) in a single layer.  Drizzle some olive oil over them and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Toast them in a 350º oven for about 20 minutes, or until they resemble a crouton and are all golden-brown and crunchy.  Give them a stir a time or two.

Allow to cool somewhat – about 10 minutes before adding to the salad.

Cut up one cucumber, one-half of a red pepper, and chiffonade up 3 tablespoons of fresh basil (about 8 leaves).

Toss them into the bowl with your onion petals.

Also cut up some fresh mozzerella into 1- inch cubes.  I used about a cup and a half.

Throw it into your bowl and go ahead and add your bread cubes as well.

Now grab 4 vine-ripened tomatoes.  You really want to use good quality, sweet, juicy tomatoes for this.  Sweet grape tomatoes, cut in half, would also work wonderfully.

Remove the seeds with a teaspoon by cutting the tomato in half and using the pointier end of the spoon to remove the seeds.  Leave the center meaty part in tact.

Now chop up your tomato in small chunks.  Add them into your bowl.

Mix up a quick vinagraitte.

Add one teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 teasspoons red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey,  1 t. sugar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to a bowl.  Whisk it up.

Pour it over your salad.

Chop up 2 cloves of garlic very fine, or squeeze them over your salad with a press.

Toss your salad so everything gets coated really well with the dressing.

Can I confess something to you? Last night I made this entire bowl.

Then I transferred a single serving to a smaller bowl.

The kids were gone and Mr. Wonderful ended up not eating at home.  So I thought, “what the heck!” and I served myself another bowl.

I think know that I ended up eating this whole bowl for dinner.

By myself.

Do I regret it?

Not one single bit.

Katie’s Printable Recipe – Roasted Red Onion Panzanella

Cooking with Love,

~Katie