Have you ever tried 'bread salad' before? I was new to this meal too, but it's worth trying I promise. I had seen a version on Kelsey Nixon's show on the Cooking Channel, Kitchen Essentials, that looked really tasty, but I was a little sceptical. Would it be a soggy, mushy mess? Would it really get better as it sits, or is it an 'eat it right now' kinda dish? My love of all food Italian won & I decided to try a variation of my own using our favorite summer veggies & the fresh herbs we had on hand.
Y'all, this salad was so tasty & all my fears were completely unfounded! It was super fresh, with just enough cheesy goodness & the bread was perfectly crusty AND chewy. The basil & cilantro blended so well together for the vinaigrette too, with the lemon juice, it made a perfectly bright dressing. It'd also work really well with parsley if cilantro isn't your thing. It's all I could ever want in a summertime dish. The leftovers we had for lunch the next day were even better; there were no soggy bites of bread to be had!
This salad is so versatile; you can literally use any veggies you'd like & any mix of herbs for the vinaigrette. It's a great 'end of the week' meal to use up all those leftover bits of veggies from other dishes too. I love this mix of corn, red onion & asparagus though. Lots of colors & the flavors go so well. If you do just a little planning ahead by soaking the corn, the whole salad comes together in just a few minutes!
Grilled Summer Panzanella (Bread Salad)
1 loaf ciabatta or your favorite type of bread, stale bread works very well2 ears corn, shucked & soaked in water for 30 minutes or so
1 red onion, cut into thick slices
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
Fresh Mozzarella, I prefer the 'pearls' that are bite size
Cherry Tomatoes, halved or quartered
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
For Vinaigrette
Extra Virgin Olive OilFresh Basil, 1 large bunch, trimmed
Cilantro, a small handful
Juice of 1 Lemon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cube your loaf of bread & toss lightly in olive oil, salt & pepper. Cut red onion into thick slices and trim asparagus. Grill corn, onion & asparagus to your liking. We like to spritz everything with a decent spray of olive oil & season it with a little salt & pepper before placing it on the grill. While the veggies are grilling, place cubed bread onto baking sheet & bake in oven for 5 minutes or so. You want the bread to be a little brown on the edges, but not completely toasted. Drain water from fresh mozzarella & cut into pieces if necessary. Halve cherry tomatoes. Make vinaigrette by placing juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, basil & cilantro into a food processor. While pulsing, drizzle in olive oil until it comes together & is pleasant to taste (usually I end up using at least 1/4 - 1/3 cup.)
Once the veggies come off the grill & are cool enough to handle (please be careful!) cut onion & asparagus into bite size pieces & remove corn from cob, placing it all into a large bowl. Add in bread, mozzarella & toss everything with the vinaigrette.
Serves 4.