SPRING PANZANELLA

On of the fifth day of salad I really needed something substantial. The sun was beating down relentlessly and I was more than a little cranky because of this - who knew that endless sunshine could make you irritable? So I decided some toasted bread would be needed in my salad. Panzanella is a salad traditionally made from bread and tomatoes and originates in Florence, Italy. The bread is meant to be stale, however you can toast your bread like I did if it is not quite at this stage. Onions, basil, olive oil and vinegar are also commonly found in this salad, however I opted for eschallots, parsley and celery. Having been filled to the brim with tomatoes I chose to omit them from my summer Panzanella, which I am sure the Italians would have frowned upon!

INGREDIENTS

Salad 

• a generous handful of any type of lettuce, rinsed & drained
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• 1 large celery stalk, rinsed & finely chopped
• 1/2 a medium eschallot, finely chopped
• 2 slices gluten & dairy free bread, torn into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Dressing 

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 heaped tablespoon dijon mustard 
• pinch of sea salt 

COOKING

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine torn bread, parsley & 1 garlic clove in a small bowl, tossing well to combine. Scatter bread on tray in a single layer, then bake in the oven for 8 minutes or until bread pieces are lightly toasted and golden in colour. Remove from oven. 

2. Meanwhile, prepare dressing by mixing together all ingredients. Place lettuce, chickpeas, celery and eschallots in a large serving bowl and add dressing, tossing well to combine. Only add bread pieces right before serving the salad, or the bread will go soggy. Serve immediately after adding bread. 

Serves / 2-3 as a main / 4 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x Emily