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panzanella caprese
The other day, my friend Shannon and I were sitting at her table in her lovely home eating a panzanella salad made mostly of things from her garden. Her tomatoes were perfect, in all different colors and varieties, and I started to wish the whole salad were just the croutons and tomatoes and basil.
She said she liked the croutons the best too, and I thought it would be good to make my next panzanella with mostly those ingredients, like a caprese salad. All I did was take away the peppers and cucumbers, and added in some fresh mozzarella. It’s the best two salads all in one. I hope you enjoy it, too.
panzanella caprese
half a loaf of soft, day-old bread, such as foccacia, or ciabatta
olive oil
3-4 good, ripe tomatoes
1 8 ounce (225g) ball fresh mozzarella cheese
12 or more basil leaves
balsamic vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1. Cut the bread into 1 inch pieces. In a large skillet set over medium heat, grill the pieces of bread until golden on all sides (or as many sides as you have patience to stand there and grill). Set aside.
2. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella ball into 1/4 inch slices and then cut each slice in half. Arrange on individual plates or a platter. Top with the croutons and drizzle with the vinaigrette.
3. For a variation, serve this as a tossed salad. Simply cut up all ingredients in smaller pieces, and toss in a large bowl.
balsamic vinaigrette
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaiger
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified.
10 Responses to “panzanella caprese”
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Oh, Jaime! This makes me think of summer. I can’t bear it here in this freezing Autumn weather we’re having. Stop! Make it all come back! Allow me to eat tomatoes and basil forever.
Ahhh. I miss you and your sophistifood. Being right down the street. In summer.
Love you!
I miss you, too, Brooke!
Your pretzel recipe is fantastic, girl.
Everyone click on Brooke’s name, or on this link: http://www.tongue-n-cheeky.com/2009/09/oktoberfest-pretzels.html
I can’t wait for our tomatoes & basil to grow large and ripe enough for harvest, my only hope is that I can get my hands on some great buffalo mozzarella at the same time. If I can, then this is definitely the first salad on my menu this summer downunder. Thank you Jamie xx
It looks wonderful and refreshing.
The real trick to have a great caprese-panzanella-salad like this is being able to spend freely on the best mozzarella you can find.
My advice is getting some buffalo mozzarella (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_mozzarella). It makes a world of difference, believe me
Fun inspiration and wonderful dish!
Yummy! My mouth is watering. There is nothing like a good, ripe garden tomato. Alas and alack, I am hard pressed to find any other than the plastic grocery store variety right now.
There is NOTHING like fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, but the addition of the grilled foccacia and balsamic vinaigrette is just lovely! You have me craving a bite yet I know it won’t be possible for me to have any for at least few more hours!
Beautiful! The tomatoes and basil are still going strong in our garden, so I will have to just get a few things to make this because it looks amazing! Thanks Jaime!!
Oh my gosh this looks so good! If my mom ever cooked / took photographs like this, I would seriously feel special!
You truly are amazing!!
Love the new look and set up!