Another great summer salad recipe this week. This version of the classic panzanella uses sweet roasted peppers married with juicy mozzarella and has a real Mediterranean feel. Panzanella is a great way of using that old stale bread, so give it a go.
Ingredients (serves 2)
5 thick slices stale bread
2 sweet red peppers.
125g mozzarella
Half a red onion
10 plum tomatoes
10 black olives
1 lemon
Olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Basil oil
6 tbsp Olive oil
Handful of basil
Method
Start by roasting the peppers. Set the oven to 180°C and cut the peppers in half and place on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes until the skin starts to blacken slightly. Take out of the oven and place in a bowl (along with the juices) and cover with some cling and leave to cool, covering steams the peppers making the skin easier to peel off. When the peppers are cool peel the browned skin off. You don’t have to get every little piece but try and get most of it off. Discard the skin but keep the peppers in the bowl along with the juices.
Cut the stale bread up into bite sized chunks and add to a large bowl. Slice the red onion, halve the olives and tomatoes adding them to the bowl. Slice the peppers and add to the bowl along with the juices. Give it a good mix.
In a jar (makes it easy to mix/shake) add the oil, vinegar, crushed garlic clove. Put the lid on and shake vigorously and pour over the bread and pepper mix. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours for the bread to absorb the liquid and become soft. It can be also made the day before.
To make the basil oil add the olive oil and basil to a blender and whizz up. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
After the 3 hours or so the panzanella should be read so add torn up mozzarella and mix again. Serve with a drizzle of the basil oil.