Ripe tomatoes, stale bread combine for a celebration of summer
This time of year, fresh peaches crop up everywhere. The local farmers markets, roadside stands, and grocers have them by the truckloads. Sweet, juicy peaches are enough on their own, but peach desserts such as cobblers, pies, and crisps come to mind, as well. However, with the heat most of us are experiencing recently, fresh peach ice cream sounds right on time. Growing up, we typically made vanilla ice cream with big chunks of fresh peaches in it. We sat upon an old quilt my grandmother placed over the hand-cranked ice cream maker. The quilt had two purposes – one, to give the grandkids a place to sit and crank the handle, and the second, to help insulate the ice. I use a countertop ice cream maker with a cylinder that is pre-frozen in the freezer, so no ice is needed. One other change I’ve made these days is to prepare a nondairy mixture. It packs just as much peachy punch as the original recipe.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker available, pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish and place into your freezer. Scrape the icy bits that are forming around the edges with the tines of a fork once every hour and mix with the softer portion. Do this again in one hour and again, if necessary, until you reach the frozen consistency you desire. The results may be a little different, but still very enjoyable.
Panzanella feels like an ode to summer.
The classic Tuscan salad was originally created to use up stale bread, because why would you want to throw away leftover bread when you can make something delicious? It includes some sort of vinaigrette, which soaks into the stale bread (or in this recipe, baked croutons), as well as tomatoes, which lend their juices to the mix, and often onions, cucumbers and basil.
I use cherry tomatoes here, and halve them, but if you have big ripe tomatoes to cube up, definitely do that instead. Mixing different colored tomatoes makes this dish even more visually arresting.
If you have garlic oil on hand, use that, or plain olive oil works just fine.
And if you’re making croutons instead of using stale bread, you can use any kind of bread for them. Classic panzanella features some sort of firm white bread, anything from Italian bread to ciabatta to a Pullman loaf. However, there are no rules: If you want, you can use sourdough, grain, etc.
Keep in mind that the bread will continue to firm up as it cools, so bake the croutons until they are browned a bit but still have some tenderness in the center.
You can leave the crusts on the bread or remove them. I happen to love the crust, and the difference in texture between the softer inside of the bread and the crunchier outside. Besides, the whole point of panzanella originally was to use up stale bread, so it seems a shame to throw away any part of the loaf. pumpernickel, whole
Tomato panzanella
Panzanella is best the day it’s made, but after it sits for at least 20 minutes.
For the croutons:
1 (1-pound) loaf of ciabatta or country or other rustic white bread
1⁄3
cup olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
hFor the vinaigrette:
1⁄2 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1⁄4 cup minced shallots 1⁄2
hcup extra virgin olive oil teaspoon finely minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the salad:
hNon-dairy peach ice cream
3 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced
3 cups unsweetened oat milk 1 pint Silk non-dairy heavy cream 1 cup pure cane sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
onto a plate and smash with the tines of a fork to create a chunky puree.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together puree, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla until sugar is dissolved.
Pour the mixture into the frozen ice cream freezer container. Insert the paddle and cover with the lid. 1 cup halved and very thinly sliced red onion
3 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
Leftover ice cream can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
5 baby or Persian cucumbers, halved and sliced ½-inch thick
1⁄4 cup chopped or thinly sliced fresh basil
to 400 degrees F.
Tear the ciabatta into big, rough chunks, about 11⁄2-inches large. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the 1⁄3 cup olive oil. Toss
Start the machine and freeze for 20 to 25 minutes for soft-serve. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer to an airtight container and place in refrigerator freezer for a minimum of 2 hours. them to combine, then spread them out on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, until the bread starts to brown at the edges, but the croutons are still tender inside. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet.
Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl or container combine the ½ cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, shallots, garlic, and salt and pepper.
Place the red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers and basil in a bowl. Shake or stir the vinaigrette to re-combine, then pour it over the salad and toss gently. Add the croutons and toss again until everything is well combined. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the croutons to soak up the dressing a bit and soften, then serve.
Some dishes that go well with Tomato Panzanella include grilled prosciutto wrapped pork chops, barbecued chicken, grilled chicken breasts with lime, roasted garlic and fresh herb marinade and grilled marinated ny strip steak.