Italian🥬 Vegetables

Caesar Panzanella

Name: Caesar Panzanella
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ½ lb Stale bread (Italian crusty loaf or baguette, about a day old); 1½ lb Tomatoes; 1 Shallot; 2 tbsp Capers; ~1 cup Castalvetrano Olives; 2 tbsp Freshly Chopped Parsley; 1 clove Garlic; 1 tsp Anchovy Paste; 2 tsp Dijon Mustard; 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce; 2 tsp Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice; 2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar; ¼ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil; ~½ tsp Salt and Pepper; ¼ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

⏱ 25 min

A delicious combination of traditional Italian panzanella (bread salad) and Caesar dressing. Stale crusty bread is torn and tossed with fresh tomatoes, shallots, and olives, then dressed with a homemade eggless Caesar vinaigrette. The salad is best after sitting for about 20 minutes so the bread can absorb all the flavors and the tomatoes release their natural juices.

Adapted from a video by Laura in the Kitchen

Caesar Panzanella

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Stale bread (Italian crusty loaf or baguette, about a day old)½ lb
TomatoesA mixture of colorful cherry and vine ripe tomatoes1½ lb
Shallotthinly sliced1
Capers2 tbsp
Castalvetrano Olivesa handful~1 cupest.
Freshly Chopped Parsley2 tbsp
Garlic1 clove
Anchovy Paste1 tsp
Dijon Mustard2 tsp

Steps

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1
Add the garlic clove, Dijon mustard, anchovy paste, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar to a food processor or mini chopper.
2
Add a pinch of salt and olive oil, then pulse or blend until smooth.
3
Stir in a generous handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and pulse briefly to combine.
4
Pour the Caesar dressing into the bottom of a large bowl.
5
Halve the tomatoes and thinly slice the shallot, then add them to the dressing. This helps draw out the tomatoes' natural liquids and builds a flavorful base.
6
Add the chopped parsley, capers, and Castalvetrano olives to the bowl and gently stir to combine.
7
Tear the stale bread into rustic, irregular pieces. Discard any overly soft crumb, keeping the sturdier parts with good crust to ensure the bread holds up in the dressing.
8
Add the torn bread to the bowl and gently toss everything together with the vegetables and dressing.
9
Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and let the salad sit for about 20 minutes so the bread can fully absorb all the flavors and the tomatoes can release more of their natural juices.
10
Serve immediately. The bread will have soaked up all the delicious flavors and combined beautifully with the fresh vegetables.

Caesar Panzanella

Ingredients

Steps

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