Winter Panzanella Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Fall

by: fiveandspice

January12,2011

5

5 Ratings

  • Serves around 4-6

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

I had a whole slew of lovely winter vegetables leftover from a few other meals this week plus half of a gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread. It absolutely screamed winter panzanella to me. The resulting salad made for a wonderful, satisfying lunch salad, cozy enough for a snow day (like today!). - fiveandspice —fiveandspice

Test Kitchen Notes

What a lovely, tasty salad. I love the crunch of the apple in contrast to the softness of the butternut, and the kale adds a lovely crispness. If your bread is fairly crusty, remove the crust and cut into smaller pieces (about 1/2-inch pieces). Also, if you're feeling gluttonous, double the dressing recipe and you'll find a little piece of heaven. I had an extra apple sitting in my fruit bowl, so added a second one. It is tasty with one and tastier with two!
Victoria Ross

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • Salad ingredients
  • 6 cups1-inch cubes of good, crusty sourdough, a day old
  • 2 1/2 cupsbutternut squash, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes (about 1/2 squash)
  • 1 large purple beet, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 cupsvery thinly sliced cavolo nero (Tuscan kale)
  • 1/2 cupfinely diced, red onion
  • 1 crisp, tart apple (Granny Smith or Braeburn, or your preference), cored and cut into cubes
  • 10 ouncessmoked mozarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (the salad is also quite tasty, not surprisingly, with crumbled blue cheese, if you prefer that.)
  • olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Maple-mustard balsamic vinaigrette
  • 2 tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoonsalt
  • 1 teaspoonmaple syrup
  • 1 teaspoongrainy mustard
  • 1/8 teaspooncrushed garlic (I know that seems like a weird amount, but I just don't like my salad dressings very garlicky. You can add more if you like more.)
  • 1/4 cupolive oil
Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F. Toss the beet cubes with a small amount of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spread them in a baking pan and pop them into the oven. Roast until just for tender, about 40 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, toss the butternut cubes with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, spread them in another baking pan and roast alongside the beets until tender, but not about to fall apart. About 20-25 minutes.
  3. Take the butternut squash and the beets out of the oven as they are finished and set aside to allow them to cool for a while.
  4. In a very large sautee pan, heat about 2 Tbs. olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Toss in the bread cubes and toss them around. Cook, tossing frequently, until they become golden browned, 10ish minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.
  5. At this point, slice the kale and the red onion and put them in a large salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients except the olive oil. Then, gradually whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Pour about half of the dressing in with the kale and onion and toss to coat.
  6. Once the bread, butternut squash, and beets are lightly warm, but not hot toss them with the kale and onion in the bowl. Add the rest of the dressing and toss more. Finally, add the cheese and apple pieces (and a few sliced sage leaves, if you wish) and toss thoroughly until everything is well combined. If you like your salad with more dressing, feel free to double the dressing amount. I've always preferred 'scantily clad' salads, but this has been a bone of contention at times in my family since others prefer thoroughly drenched salads.
  7. Serve immediately, or allow to sit for about a half hour at room temperature before serving to allow the bread to soften and the flavors to mingle.

Tags:

  • Salad
  • American
  • Vegetable
  • Beet
  • Butternut Squash
  • Fruit
  • Cheese
  • Winter
  • Fall
  • Vegetarian
  • Appetizer
  • Side
Contest Entries
  • Your Best Salad with Apples
  • Your Best Greens

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Rhonda35

  • wanderash

  • fiveandspice

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4 Reviews

Rhonda35 March 13, 2011

I stumbled upon some Tuscan kale at a farmers' market and bought it just because it was so pretty and green. Now, I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. This salad is a great start!
By the way, the woman I bought it from said, the finer and smaller you chop kale, the more nutrients you will derive from it. Apparently, it is difficult to digest in large pieces, so you lose out on some of the vitamins, etc.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!

fiveandspice March 14, 2011

That's so interesting! Thanks for sharing. And enjoy your kale!

wanderash January 21, 2011

this looks great! congrats on the EP!

fiveandspice January 22, 2011

Thank you!

Winter Panzanella Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in panzanella? ›

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

What do you eat panzanella with? ›

It's also a great starter to a fun Italian menu with anything including sundried tomato pasta, eggplant parmesan, chicken pesto, or Fish of your choice. Panzanella can also be the perfect summer salad for your next BBQ with things like chicken kabobs, lamb burgers, or grilled shrimp.

What does La Panzanella mean? ›

The name is believed to be a portmanteau of "pane", Italian for 'bread', and "zanella", a deep plate in which it is served.

Where is panzanella salad from? ›

Of course, traditionally, panzanella isn't an any-vegetable-goes kind of salad. It originated in Tuscany as a way to use up stale bread, and tomatoes were always a key ingredient. Their juices soak into the bread, softening it and giving it flavor. Onions, basil, and a tangy vinaigrette round out the dish.

Why is it called Israeli salad? ›

It was adopted by Jewish immigrants to the Levant in the late 19th century, who found the locally grown Kirby cucumbers and tomatoes in popular local salad. It was popularized in the kibbutzim, where the Jewish farmers had local fresh produce at hand. The name Israeli Salad is used mainly outside of Israel.

What are the best tomatoes for salads? ›

Cherry tomatoes are small, round tomatoes that are perfect for snacking and salads. As their namesake suggests, they are about the same size and shape as a cherry. Most cherry tomatoes are red, but they do come in other colors like yellow and orange.

What do Italians eat with breadsticks? ›

Italian Grissini - Long, thin and crispy homemade Italian breadsticks perfect served with drinks, cured meats and cheese for an Italian aperitivo or for dunking in dips or soup, so delicious and easy to make at home!

What is an artisan cracker? ›

“Artisan foods are handcrafted by small food producers in small batches, where they can control the quality as opposed to [large] volume and [large] quantity-type mass manufacturing. Artisan also means making unique foods and keeping a food tradition alive.

What country made the first salad? ›

Food historians tell us salads (generally defined as mixed greens with dressing) were enjoyed by ancient Romans and Greeks. As time progressed, salads became more complicated. Recipes varied according to place and time. Dinner salads, as we know them today, were popular with Renaissance folks.

What is Greek bread made from? ›

Greek bread typically consists of ingredients such as flour, water, salt, yeast and olive oil. It can be prepared in a variety of ways including making it into flatbreads, or baking it in the oven to create loaves. Greek bread is often used for dipping sauces and spreads like tzatziki.

What is fairy bread made of? ›

Fairy bread, which can be traced back to Australia and New Zealand, is simply sliced white bread spread with butter and covered with multi-colored round "hundreds and thousands," the Australian term for sprinkles. It is then typically cut into triangles.

What is olive bread made of? ›

In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast, sugar, salt, black olives, olive oil, and water. Turn out dough onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside, and let rise about 45 minutes, until it doubles in size.

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