Panzanella Salad

This delicious summer classic is as timeless as they come. Because the preparation is quite simple, the quality of your ingredients is everything. If you find yourself with great tomatoes and a bit of bread, don't miss out on the opportunity to make this.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Source: Culinary Vegetable Institute at The Chef's Garden

Ingredients:

• 1lb of assorted Heirloom tomatoes
• 2 Baby English cucumbers
• 1 Slightly under-ripe peach or other seasonal fruit
• 1 Envelope of micro herbs
• Salt to taste
• 2/3 lb of bread, fresh or stale.
• ⅓ Cup Olive Oil
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 Lemons, Zested and Juiced
• 1tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 8 cracks of black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt plus more TT 
• ¼ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

 
Directions:

• Start by making the croutons.
• Preheat the oven to 380, then tear the bread into bite sized pieces and toss with olive oil.
• Season the bread chunks lightly with salt then bake them for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown on the surface and crunchy throughout.
• Make the dressing by combining 3 cloves garlic (minced), shallot (minced), 2 lemons (zested and juiced), 1 tsp. dijon mustard, 1 tbsp.  honey, 8 cracks of black pepper, and ½ tsp. salt.
• While whisking, slowly stream in ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil until all of it is incorporated and a stable emulsion is formed. 
• Wash and dry the produce then use a knife to further process it into smaller pieces.
• If the tomatoes are small they can be split in half. Larger ones can be cut into an increasingly greater number of wedges or slices. The same attitude is applied to the cucumbers and the peach. The end goal is to create a variety of shapes and sizes to add to the variation of experiences in this salad. So long as a piece can easily be picked up with a fork, it is fair game. This is a great time to experiment with your breadth of knife cuts and get creative.
• Chop the envelope of micro herbs then add them to a large mixing bowl.
• Being careful not to be too rough with the now-cut tomatoes, add all of the cut produce to the bowl as well.
• Follow with the croutons and about ⅓ of the dressing.
• Use your hands to gently toss the ingredients together and coat all of the components with the dressing.
• Adjust the quantity of dressing and seasoning as desired. 
• For Best Results, allow the salad to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. This period of rest will allow the dressing to permeate the flesh of the tomatoes and croutons making for a more interesting and flavorful eating experience.

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