Summer Garden Bread Salad Food

PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.
• For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
• In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

SUMMER GARDEN SALAD

Steps:

• For the dressing: Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, garlic powder, vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Transfer to a ramekin.
• For the salad: Place the ramekin in the center of a platter. Arrange the lettuce around the dressing. Layer the tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers on top of the lettuce and serve.

SUMMER GARDEN SALAD

Steps:

• In a jar blend vinegar, mustard and garlic. Whisk in oil and season with salt and pepper. Shake well.
• In a large salad bowl combine vegetables (beans - radishes).
• Add dressing and toss.
• Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

BREAD-BAKED CHICKEN & SUMMER GARDEN SALAD

Steps:

• To make the crust, combine all the ingredients with a pinch of salt. Pour in 120ml of warm water and bring everything together, then knead for about 10 mins to form a smooth ball of dough. Divide the dough into two balls, then roll out each one to a thickness of 0.5cm on a lightly floured surface.
• Lay a chicken leg in the middle of each sheet of dough, then fold in the sides to form parcels - a bit like a pasty. Put the parcels on a tray lined with baking parchment. Can be prepared a few hours ahead and chilled in the fridge until ready to cook.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the chicken parcels for 45 mins, then remove from the oven and leave to stand for 20 mins. Carefully open the parcels with a sharp serrated knife, then lift the chicken onto a baking tray. Grill the chicken for 5 mins to crisp up and colour the skin - or use a blowtorch if you have one, which would be faster and more even.
• Chop some of the bread parcel into chunks and grill until crisp, then transfer to a bowl and toss with the lettuce, carrot and tomatoes. Dress the salad with the olive oil and the vinegar. Serve each chicken leg with some salad topped with the anchovies, and with a blob of salad cream on the side.

BREAD SALAD WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Cut the bread slices, with crust on, into 1-inch pieces or cubes-you should have about 5 cups total-and put them in a large bowl. (If the pieces are not dry and almost crunchy, spread them on a baking sheet and heat it in a moderately low oven until the bread chunks are hard and crisp but not colored; let cool.)
• Whisk together the 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 cup cold water, sprinkle it all over the bread, and keep tossing the pieces till they're evenly moistened. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the cubes, and toss again. Put the sliced peppers, cucumber, and tomato in the bowl, and toss together with the bread.
• To make the dressing: Put the garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in the food processor or blender, and pulse to chop the garlic, scraping down the bowl as needed. Pack in the basil leaves, and pulse until they are coarsely chopped. With the motor running, pour in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil in a slow, steady stream to make an emulsified dressing. Drizzle the dressing over the bread and vegetables, and toss well.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Tear the chicory leaves into bite-sized pieces, and scatter them over the bread in the bowl. Drizzle the vinegar-oil dressing over the greens, and toss everything together well.
• As a final (optional) touch, if you have bottarga, shave or grate about a teaspoon of the dried roe over the top of the salad. Or chop anchovy fillets into small bits and scatter them all over. Serve on a platter or on separate plates.
• In Liguria, basil grows luxuriously in every garden and naturally plays an enormous role in the region's cuisine, as I discussed in the introduction. For this bread salad, where basil dressing is a major element, and for many other dishes in this chapter, I encourage you to find and use the freshest, most flavorful basil that you can. Though we don't have the good fortune of Ligurian cooks, most of whom can pluck sprigs of intensely flavored, small-leaved basil right from a window box or patio planter, we Americans now have more fresh basil available to us than ever before. Fine food and farmers' markets (in season) may have "sweet" basil for cooking in different varieties, colors, and even nuances of flavor. For these Ligurian dishes, look for a classic pesto variety like small-to-medium-leaf Genovese basil. But other types will be fine, too. Try giant-leaved basil (it's great for wrapping around fish fillets and stuffing), or purple basil. Basils with distinctive aromas like lemon, mint, and anise are great to cook with; so is spicy Thai or Vietnamese basil.
• Even better, grow your own fresh basil, perhaps just a small pot on the windowsill. It will provide you with great flavor for many dishes, especially if you snip back the new shoots when they have four or five bright leaves. Just keep the plant from flowering and it will last for months. Garden centers and specialty seed companies sell more varieties of Italian basil than even I knew existed. But an ordinary sweet-basil plant like the ones I see in the supermarket will grow well with a bit of attention.
• And whether you grow your own or buy it, I recommend highly that in late summer and fall, or whenever fine fresh basil is abundant in your area, you should make a big batch of basil pesto in the food processor-just fresh herb leaves and extra-virgin olive oil, nothing else-and freeze it in ice-cube trays. Once it is frozen, pop the cubes out and wrap them in a bit of plastic, then seal the batch in giant ziplock bags. Protected from freezer burn, your basil-pesto cubes will provide bursts of fresh flavor in soups, tomato sauces, and vegetable pasta sauces all year long!

GARDEN FRESH SUMMER VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrots, onion, tomatoes and zucchini. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. , Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon.

SUMMER BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Combine vinegar and shallot in a bowl; set aside to let shallot soften.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and green beans, and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer green beans to ice-water bath. Add zucchini to boiling water, and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer zucchini to ice-water bath. Let cool, then drain.
• Toss green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumber in a large bowl.
• Add mustards, herbs, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to shallot mixture. Add 1/4 cup oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Pour vinaigrette over vegetables, and toss. Let stand at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. (Vegetables can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil, and toss. Toast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add croutons to salad, and toss. Let stand 1 hour before serving so that croutons can soften. If you prefer your croutons crisp, add them to the salad just before serving.

MID-SUMMER ITALIAN BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Rub a peeled clove of garlic around a wooden salad bowl.
• Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces.
• In the prepared salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, basil and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve.

SUMMER GARDEN BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, cubanelle peppers, onion and basil.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and let stand 30 minutes for flavors to develop.
• Stir in the bread cubes and drizzle olive oil over the salad; toss to mix thoroughly.
• Enjoy!