Antipasto-ish Panzanella

Back in college (you know, a million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth), I had a friend who regularly ate “saladless salad,” aka a pile of veggies, cheese, etc. without any kind of leafy green as a base.

If only we, naive youths that we were, had realized that not only can you have a salad without leafy greens, but you can have salad made of bread! Thank goodness for magnificent Italians looking for a way to use up stale bread, for without them, the world may never have know the glory that is panzanella. Move over, saladless salad, this town’s only big enough for one green-less salad, and it’s a-gonna be bread salad. (There’s actually plenty of room for all the salads– greens-based, grains-based, and otherwise– but that would ruin the corny Western thing I have going, so let’s all play along for a minute.)

Now, traditionally panzanella is made during peak summer with just a few ingredients: onion, oil and vinegar, and juicy tomatoes. The idea is that the tomato juices mingle with the oil and vinegar to make a nice little vinaigrette, and then you let the whole thing sit for a while, softening up the crusty old bread with all those good, summer-y flavors. My COVID-19 kitchen store does not currently include peak-summer tomatoes (or tomatoes of any kind for that matter), and maybe yours doesn’t either. But we’re not going to let that stop us!

So! Instead, we’ll use a few splashes of various briny liquids to round out our vinaigrette. I promise it’ll still taste great. And just like we’re improvising a little on our dressing, we’re going to improvise on the other salad ingredients too. True panzanella, don’t forget, is really just three ingredients. So don’t sweat it if you don’t have the same stuff I used here. Add your other faves! Got a can of artichokes? Absolutely do it (I would have if I’d had ’em). Got a zucchini that needs eating? Ribbon that shit and toss it in. Got some halloumi? (Hi I’m jealous.) Crisp it up on the stovetop or grill and add that to the mix. (Btw, if you’re firing up the grill anyway, grill the bread and other veggies too!) The point is, panzanella is your bread salad-y canvas, onto which you can paint your hopes, fears, and dreams. Or at least your cravings and fridge clean-out needs.

Antipasto-ish Panzanella (serves 4)

• 1/2 loaf Bread, cut into 1″ cubes (crusty is better, but we didn’t have any and it was still fine– maybe just reduce the “sit” time a little so the bread doesn’t totally sog)
• 1/2 c. Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 T. Red Wine or Sherry Vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Small amounts of: Feta brine, Black Olive brine, Chickpea Aquafaba (the juice from a can of chickpeas)
• 1 Cucumber, sliced into half-moons
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Roasted Red Pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 large can Black Olives, halved and liquid reserved
• 1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 75 g. thinly sliced Salami, cut into wedges (75 g. equaled about 15 slices for me)
• 6 oz. Feta, crumbled and liquid reserved (if stored in brine)
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved

If bread is not already crust and stale, toss cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and toast in a single layer in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. In the meantime, whisk together 1/2 c. olive oil, vinegar, and a big pinch each of salt and pepper. Add a splash of whatever brines you’ve got around– in our case, we’re using feta and black olives, so add a splash of each of those. Toss in a splash of the aqaufaba from the chickpeas as well; whisk until an emulsified vinaigrette is formed. Add all remaining ingredients– including bread cubes– and gently toss until well combined. Let sit for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow flavors to meld and bread to soften slightly. (If bread is getting soft quickly, go ahead and serve it!) Serve immediately– panzanella will technically keep, but the bread will continue to moisten overnight in the fridge, so you may be less than thrilled with it the next day if you’re not a mushy carbs person. (I very much am, but I recognize that’s weird.)

What I like about panzanella is that it’s infinitely riff-able, which makes it an excellent meal for eating seasonally, and also makes it the exact kind of flexible dish we need right now, when specific ingredients can be hard to find and we’re all minimizing grocery trips to help keep each other safe. Plus, since it seems like everyone and their mother has a sourdough starter now, it’s the perfect way to use up an abundance of bread when you get sick of toast! (Lol please, like that could ever happen.)