Another tasty idea for leftover bread! Toast cubes of it with a touch of olive oil until crispy, and make a classic Tuscan panzanella salad. Traditionally a mixture of tomatoes and toasted bread, I upped the ante by also adding in sliced sweet peppers, crunchy cucumber slices, fresh basil, oil-cured olives and tender shredded Swiss chard. I recommend using the stems and the leaves of colorful Rainbow chard here, the combination of colors is fantastic! Dress it all simply with a lemon vinaigrette and come cubes of salty ricotta salata or feta cheese. Bellissimo!
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Panzanella with Rainbow Chard, Olives & Ricotta Salata
Ingredients:
- 3 cups cubed day-old bread–toasted in a 375 degree oven on a baking sheet, along with a Tablespoon of olive oil drizzled on top, for 7-8 minutes or until crunchy and browned
- 1 head of Rainbow Swiss chard, tips of stems removed, stems and leaves chopped (all washed and dried)
- 1/2 cup olives packed in oil, drained
- 1 cup sliced sweet peppers
- 1 cup sliced cucumbers
- 1 cup cubed ricotta salata or feta cheese
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
- For the vinaigrette:
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Directions:
- Toss the toasted bread, prepped Swiss chard, olives, sweet peppers, cucumbers, cheese and fresh basil together in a large mixing bowl.
- Place all of the vinaigrette ingredients into a mason jar, close and lid. Shake until emulsified; season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the salad. (You may have extra dressing leftover!)
Tagged: basil, bread salad, chard, cheese, cherry tomatoes, croutons, cucumbers, feta cheese, fresh basil, Italian, Italy, lemon vinaigrette, oil cured olives, olives, panzanella, rainbow chard, ricotta salata, Salad, side dish, sweet peppers, Swiss chard, toasted bread, vegetarian
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