Panzanella Salad

Today is Family Day in Ontario - thank you Dalton McGuinty!  Basically it is a the mid-winter blah day off we all need and now look forward to.  So my plans today include a bit of packing for our holidays and spending some time in the kitchen with my two favourite boys.

I thought I would make a simple but elegant meal to cap off a great long weekend and feed my need to cook until I get back from my cruise.  I am looking forward to seeing Belize again, going to Roatan, visiting Cozumel and then hitting Key West and Miami.  We have lots planned - snorkling, sea kayaking, catamarans, air boats through the Everglades - which is a good thing since I hear that the food on cruises is endless.  We'll do our best to not go too crazy!

I have a somewhat stale loaf of rustic Italian bread and have always wanted to make Panzanella so I decided since we are making lamb today, it would be a good idea.  I took the inspirational lead for tonight's salad  from the Barefoot Contessa but in the end made the recipe my own.

Panzanella Salad

Toasted Bread:

1 loaf of day old rustic bread, sliced on an angle (about 4 cups)

2 teaspoons olive oil for grilling + 3 tablespoons for salad dressing

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed (not chopped - you will be rubbing the bread with them)

Preheat grill or panni press to 400° (medium-high). Cut bread loaf into 8 (1-inch-thick) slices; cut slices in half, if desired.  Rub each slice of bread on both sides with raw garlic cloves.  Brush each side of bread slices with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Grill at 400° (medium-high heat) 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and toasted and has grill marks.  Set aside to cool. Cut bread into 1 inch pieces and place in large salad bowl and set aside.

Dressing:

1 half piece Preserved Lemon, well rinsed and chopped finely
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together quickly until they become emulsified.  Set aside until ready to use.  You will have to whisk again prior to dressing the salad.

Main Salad:

2 pounds tomatoes (about 3 large) or 1- 12 oz. container a mixed tomatoes (yellow, orange and cherry)

1/2 English cucumber, quartered and cut into small chunks (similar size to tomatoes)
1/2 red onion

1/4 cup packed fresh basil (I forgot to buy some so I used Arugula)
3 tbsp dill fronds, torn

salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop tomatoes (cut in half if using cherry tomatoes) and cucumber. Peel and thinly slice red onion and place everything in a medium bowl.   Cube toasted bread.  Toss cubed bread in with the tomatoes and cucumbers and pour dressing over the salad.  Toss well.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.  Lay salad out on a beautiful plate and sprinkle with fresh herbs (or Arugula in my case).

Serve and enjoy!

Cook's Note:  The salad will hold well for about half an hour but you should plan to serve it fairly soon after you add the dressing so the bread does not become soggy.  A nice addition would be some feta or torn fresh mozzarella cheese.