Fennel Panzanella
The first rule to panzanella is there are no rules. The primary ingredient is stale (I use 1-2 day old toasted) bread and a cornucopia of seasonal vegetables dressed in a vinaigrette. In summer that takes the shape of the classic tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers variety. In fall and winter I make a kale based version with roasted veggies and anchovy at the heart of the dressing. It’s known as a summertime dish but I love panzanella all year long.
Panzanella actually originated because a 16th century Italian loved onions with oil, vinegar and toast. Tomatoes didn’t come along until later. The name is said to be a combination of "pane", Italian for bread, and "zanella", a deep / soup plate which it is served on.
This version is an Italian + Greek mash-up, with salty elements like kalamata olives + Greek feta anchored by fennel, basil, tomatoes and Calabrian sweet red onions called Tropea. Can this be a meal on it’s own? Yes. Can you swap ingredients for things you like better? Yes. (Remember, there are no rules!) Personally I like to serve it with a simple grilled or pan-seared fish for dinner and enjoy it solo as leftovers the next day.
Serves 6 - 8
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 cups hearty bread, cubed (bread can be fresh but better if it’s 1-2 days old). I prefer sourdough, multigrain + miche.
1/4 cup + 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (separated)
2 heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks
1-2 Tropea onions, sliced thin into rounds (shallots and regular red onions work too)
1/2 cup crumbled Greek feta (you want the Sheep/Goat variety in the brine!)
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
2 baby or 1 big fennel bulb, sliced thin with a mandoline (white parts only)
Basil, dill & fresh oregano leaves
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt + more for seasoning
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Add 1/4 cup olive oil to a large pan and warm on high.
Toss bread in a bowl with a hearty seasoning of salt.
As soon as you can smell the olive oil, add the bread to the pan, tossing occasionally until nearly all sides are golden with a light sear. (You may have to add a little more oil to the pan as you go). Feel free to turn the heat down slightly if the bread is searing too fast.
Put all toasted bread pieces in a very large bowl and set aside. (You’ll need extra room to add more elements).
In a separate bowl, add your vegetables - fennel, tomatoes, olives + onions. Once mixed, add them to the bread bowl.
Whisk together lemon juice, cider vinegar, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Drizzle all over the bread + vegetable mixture. Let marinate about 5-10 minutes before serving so the juices have time to soften the bread slightly and come together.
Just before serving, very gently toss in feta and fresh herbs. Try not to over mix or the cheese will loose its chunky texture and become too soft.
