Panzanella Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Quick Pickled Peppers
This stunning Italian panzanella salad recipe belongs in every kitchen with toasted bread, juicy heirloom tomatoes, cheeses, sweet vinegar, soppressata, lightly pickled chili peppers and so much more.
3medium sized sweet or mildly spicy chili peppers – I used a sweet Italian pepperjalapeno pepper and ram’s horn pepper.
1cupapple cider vinegar
1teaspoonsugar
1teaspoonmustard powder
½red onionsliced
4ouncessoppressatasliced
Juice from half a lemon
¼cupolive oil + more as needed
¼cupred wine vinegar
10-12large cherry tomatoes
Torn basil leaves
½cupshaved Parmesan cheese
½cupshaved Manchego cheese
Instructions
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cube the bread and spread it over a baking sheet. Bake the bread about 15 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove from heat.
Slice the heirloom tomatoes and lightly salt them. Set them into a large colander over a bowl and let the tomatoes sweat and drip about 1/4 cup of their water content into the bowl. Reserve the tomato water.
Spread the tomato slices over a large serving dish to serve as your base.
Slice the chili peppers very thinly and set them into a large pan. Cover with vinegar and heat to low. Add sugar and mustard powder and swirl to dissolve. Cook about 3-4 minutes to give them a light pickling. Cool, drain, and set them into the large bowl.
To the large bowl, add onion, soppressata and toasted bread cubes.
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar with the tomato water. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour tomato-vinaigrette into the large bowl and toss everything. Make sure everything is nice and coated. The bread will absorb the liquid.
Arrange over the top of the sliced heirloom tomatoes.
Heat a small pan to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the cherry tomatoes and add them to the pan. Cook until the skins blister and char a bit, about 4 minutes orso, turning here and there. Cool and arrange them over the salad.