When last I made a Sourdough Panzanella, we were all wicked pleased with it; but then, I came across a recipe for fried sourdough panzanella from the nice folk at Bon Appétit, and, since I had recently discovered the wonder that is Trader Joe’s San Francisco-style sourdough bread, I thought I’d give it a try, and, wow, such a great salad!
Now, the nice folk at Bon Appétit called for serving the salad on a bed of Ricotta whisked with olive oil, but I found that a schmear of cottage cheese works a treat.
Less fat, great cheesy (in a good way) flavor.
INGREDIENTS
Dressing:
•1 clove garlic, grated
•1 tbsp basil
•1/4 cup parsley
•1 tbsp red wine vinegar
•1/4 tsp salt
Veggies:
•Blanched asparagus
•Shredded cabbage (from coleslaw mix)
•Diced grape tomatoes
•Thinly sliced red onion
•Sliced hard-cooked egg
Cheese:
•3/4 cup cottage cheese
Bread:
•Sourdough bread slices
•4 tbsp olive oil
•Sea salt
A note on the dressing: your fave Italian dressing will be fine.
A note on the veggies: feel free to add or subtract whatever suits your tastes or veggie drawer.
Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Fry the bread by heating the four tablespoons of olive oil in a pan large enough to comfortably hold all of the slices in a single layer over medium heat.
Add the sourdough slices and fry one side only for four minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the pan and salt the fried side of the bread before cutting into cubes (1-1/2 inches or so).
Toss the veggies with the dressing in a large bowl, then add the cubed fried bread and toss again.
To serve, spread a schmear of cottage cheese (I prefer full (4%) fat – because, really, it’s only 4%, and, the 2% and fat-free varieties are usually loaded down with stuff) on a plate and top with the salad.
The cottage cheese adds a certain lovely sumpin’ sumpin’ that you really do want to try a taste of.
Pretty terrific with marinated chicken thighs, or, really, most anything, but, I will warn you, this is a very filling salad.