Greek Panzanella

This Barefoot Bloggers recipe was chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home. Panzanella is a Tuscan bread salad, typically made with bread, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, and other vegetables. While it’s traditionally an Italian dish, this recipe combines panzanella ingredients with bold Greek flavors.

I had received most of the ingredients in my CSA box, so I didn’t have much to buy at the grocery store, and the vegetables were fresh from the farm. Now, I didn’t get exactly all the ingredients—for example, instead of red and yellow bell peppers I had the green variety—but you use what you have, right? Also, since I had a regular cucumber instead of a hothouse cucumber (also called an English cucumber), I did peel it. The last change I made was omitting the olives, since neither McHubby nor I like them.

What a fantastic selection this was! I loved this dish! This dish is just pretty with the variety of colors, as well as super flavorful. I will be making this dish again and again!

Source: Greek Panzanella, Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

Good olive oil

1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)

Kosher salt

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced ¼-inch thick

1 red bell pepper, large diced

1 yellow bell pepper, large diced

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

½ red onion, sliced in half rounds

½ pound feta cheese, cut in ½-inch cubes

½ cup calamata olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:

nocoupons2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup good red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup good olive oil

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.

Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.