Thursday, June 3, 2010

Panzanella Salad - perfect for the summer!

Went to a cooking demo at Whole Foods last week and had an incredible meal prepared by Chef Josh Watkins, Executive Chef of The Carillon here in Austin.   He made a Panzanella Salad where he grilled the Focaccia Bread, cubed it and put it into the salad.   YUM!   I have added a few things to make it my own, and here is my version.

Grilled Panzanella Salad

Ingredients:
  • 1 large loaf Focaccia Bread
  • 4 heirloom Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 shallot, diced fine
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 T fresh basil, chopped into ribbons
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
Directions: Slice the Focaccia bread and drizzle with olive oil. Mark on a hot grill on both sides until slightly charred and slightly toasted. Cut into 1 inch cubes and set aside. Dice your tomatoes and if you cannot find heirloom, using vine ripened red and yellow tomatoes will work. Place in large bowl. Add your diced shallots, minced garlic, chopped thyme and basil ribbons, toss.  Season with salt and pepper. Add the Focaccia bread cubes and then finally toss with a little olive oil and serve immediately.

2 comments:

Southerncook said...

Stacey, You have a cute blog. Panzanella always says summer to me. Enjoyed your post and it was a reminder that I need to make it soon.

Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook

black eyed susans kitchen said...

It is recipes like this that make me want the tomato plants to get going! At the Jersey Shore, tomato season won't happen for another month... having patience is tough when I see recipes like this. I may have to take a ride to Whole Foods so I can make the panzanella this weekend.