Panzanella

Every holiday comes with its own foods unique to that day.  It's hard to imagine celebrating Thanksgiving without turkey and pumpkin pie?   Easter without ham, Halloween without candy, Valentine's Day without chocolate, Christmas without cookies or Cinco De Mayo without tacos and margaritas?  🌮

Those holidays have really obvious food pairings, but others seem like they're more open for interpretation.  Take the 4th of July, for example.  There are those who celebrate America's birthday with burgers and hot dogs.🍔🌭 Others find it fitting to honor the day with apple pie and ice cream.  🥧🍨 This inquiring mind wants to know - what do you eat on the 4th of July?  

4th of July celebrations are undoubtedly going to look different this year because we're all being cautious about the Covid 19 virus.  Even though large gatherings and in some cases, even the fireworks, have been cancelled, it seems to me that people are still planning to host or attend small, more intimate, celebrations to commemorate the day.  🎆

Whether you're planning to cook hamburgers in the backyard for your family or packing a picnic to eat in the car while you watch fireworks from the safety of your vehicle, I've got the perfect side dish for you.  Panzanella!  It's time to move beyond traditional potato salad and branch out to something new and different.  

Panzanella
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, cut in half
salt and pepper
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 Tablespoons olive oil
8 cups crusty white bread, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh parsley

Toss tomatoes with 1 t. salt.

Stir together red onion, vinegar and 1/2 t. salt. 

Toss bread with oil and 1/2 t. salt.  Cook in skillet until golden brown.  

Transfer to bowl with tomatoes. Let stand for 10 minutes. 

Cut mozzarella into bite size pieces. 

Stir in lemon zest and 1/4 t. each salt and pepper. 

Use slotted spoon to transfer onions to tomato mixture.  Reserve vinegar.

Add parsley and basil and toss. 

Transfer to a serving dish.  Season with salt, pepper and some of the reserved vinegar.  Top with cheese and a generous drizzle of olive oil. 

Panzanella is traditionally a salad that is made when you have leftover bread and extra tomatoes.  I don't like to wait for my ingredients to become leftovers though.  I got fresh tomatoes from the farmers market and crusty Italian bread from the grocery store.   I added some fresh basil from my garden and voila - the perfect Panzanella.  

Ciao!

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