Panzanella

I have eaten this salad everyday for the last 4 days. in a row.

Am I tired of it yet?

Never.

Are you wondering what Panzanella means? Me too. No, really.  I mean, it's an Italian bread salad. If you want to know more then that, look it up. Do I look like wiki to you?

The great thing about this is that you can put whatever you've got in it. I mean, the original recipe calls for fresh basil and Dijon mustard. Yeah, cause those of us in Egypt totally have those on hand all the time. The only two ingredients you absolutely must put in are the bread and the tomatoes, everything else is really personal preference  I literally throw in whatever salad-y things I feel like eating and hope for the best. It's pretty much always good. This is one of those kinda recipes. Delicious. Healthy. Yes and please.

Now, Getting to it already:

First off, if you're using one, grab your bell pepper and throw in on your stove. No pan needed.

No. Really. Throw it on there. Trust me.

Don't freak out cause you think it's burning either. The skin chars really nicely and adds a real subtle smoky flavor.

If you have some, tongs will help you hang onto the skin on your hands. I heard that hanging on to your skin actually something most people care about. Go figure.

Now, throw the peppers in a plastic baggie and tie it up tight. The heat from them will steam off the skin. Let them sit for about 10-15 minutes.

While you're waiting, grab some bread. A nice chewy bread like a French baguette works great here, but if all you've got is fino, it's okay. We're in Egypt after-all, malish yo.

Dice up your bread into approximately 1 inch squares. Which is about the size of the upper half of your thumb. If your hands are big like mine, your squares will be bigger. It's okay. It's just bread. Keep that in mind when we burn it in a second.

Throw the cubes on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. Throw this pan under the broiler in your oven. Watch it like a hawk. I always always burn these guys. If you want to, you could toast these in a large pan on your stove top instead of turning on your oven in this ridiculous heat. They do crisp up nicer in the oven though.

When they get golden after a couple minutes turn the oven off and let them sit there.They'll crisp up nice like croutons. Remember what I said about burning them? Yeah. Guilty as charged.

Now, remember your peppers? Pull the now soft peppers out of your plastic baggie. Wet your hands and rub off most off the charred blackened outer skin.

Cut off the tops and slice them in half and stack them up like above picture. This'll make it really easy to..

Slice them into thin strips.

Next, grab a large bowl, slice up, and throw in whatever else you're choosing to use. Here I've got 2 cucumbers, 2 medium tomatoes, and half a head of lettuce. Normally, there's no lettuce ever used in Panzanella. Ever. But, really, how normal do I look to you?

Mix together a quick vinaigrette which consists of 1 clove of garlic crushed, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper, the juice of half a lemon, and 1/4 cup olive oil.  If you have Dijon mustard.. use a spoonful. If you have capers..again, use a spoonful. Also if you want, and I did here, slice up and throw on a half a medium red onion. I like using a red onions rather then yellow since they tend to be much less biting when eaten raw. I still slice them as thinly as I can manage, cause they are raw onions after-all.

Don't forget to throw in your crispy bread. Here's where you'd also add basil if you wanted. Like 20 leaves, sliced up would be nice. If not, it's okay, I won't tell.

Mix. See how I had to switch to a bigger bowl? It happens. It's okay. Today my brother has dish duty. I should go and make mahshi eh?




 Enjoy. Several helpings. Your secret's safe with me. I just might have given this plate to my brother and used the pink bowl as my bowl. But I'm saying might. MIGHT. right? ;)


Panzanella

1 1/2 cups French bread, cubed
2 cucumbers
2 small tomatoes
1/2 a small red onion
3 small, or 2 large red bell peppers(optional)
1/2 head lettuce (optional)
20 leaves basil (optional)

1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil

1.)Roast red peppers on each side over an open flame until completely blackened. Place them in a plastic baggie and seal tightly. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

2.)Cube half a baguette of French bread and place on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Broil in the oven for three minutes, until golden. Leave to crisp up in the turned off oven until needed.

3.)Remove the bell peppers from the plastic bag, rub off charred skin with wet hands, and slice thinly. Add them to a large bowl with your sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and basil.

4.)Mix all the vinaigrette ingredients: garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon, and olive oil. Pour into the bowl and mix.

5.)Add in crispy bread and lightly toss. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately, before the bread gets soggy.

Enjoy.