Sometimes having company in the kitchen is welcome. Other times I appreciate the occasionally meditative quality of cooking alone, a time when I can focus on the ingredients — the feel, the aroma, the changes taking place as I combine them.
Until I step on my dog because she likes to hover right underneath my feet.
Rikku: Sneaky, but not quick.
No matter how many times I tell her to vamoose, go away, move, or just plain get out, she always scurries off and then immediately sneaks back. This ends badly about 80 percent of the time, with her yelping and/or growling at me for stepping on her, and me shouting an expletive at her for bringing it on herself. Such is the way of things in Ditty’s Kitchen.
Despite the dangerous tango in which Rikku and I are often engaged, I did find myself transported to some French or Italian countryside while making Panzanella this past weekend. (When I made it again on Monday morning, however, I was immediately brought back to reality by the feeling of a knife blade entering my index finger. Lesson: Do not attempt to cut stale Tomato Basil Bread in bleary-eyed, pre-6-a.m. state.) This recipe is super easy (assuming you’re not in bleary-eyed, pre-6-a.m. state), and it’s perfect for summer produce.
Before
PANZANELLA
(recipe adapted from Simply Recipes)
Serves One
Ingredients
1 slice stale bread
1 small tomato
1 small cucumber
Red onion, diced, to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon)
Fresh basil, torn, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)
1 t. olive oil (or whatever you have on hand; I used canola)
Salt & pepper to taste (I used about ½ a teaspoon salt)
Garlic, minced, to taste (I used three cloves because I love garlic & am anti-vampire bite at this point in my life)
Directions
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Cut bread, tomato & cucumber into bite-sized pieces. Dice onion. Mince garlic. Tear basil into small pieces.
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Combine all ingredients. Cover & let mariate at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours at room temperature. (The original recipe is adamant about not refrigerating, lest you ruin the texture of the tomatoes, but I’d be nervous about leaving all this out to sit for 12 hours. Just my two cents. The marination period between 6-a.m. bleariness & lunch was about 5 hours, though, and it did just fine — no soggy bread!)
After!
For those counting, this is a really healthy, filling, and delightfully tasty recipe. Obviously, calories will vary depending on specific ingredients, but mine came out to about 174 calories total.
Comments on: "Panzanella, aka Summer Incarnate" (2)
Nicely done, Ditty. Looks delicious.
Try the ingredient shot in natural light w/o flash and I think you’ll be very pleased with the results. (Can you tell I’ve been influenced by reading The Pioneer Woman?)
Oh, and 12 hours out of the fridge with those ingredients shouldn’t be a problem at all (providing Rikku doesn’t have access to the counter top.)
Thanks, Jack! I’m a bit limited in natural light in my kitchen; I often take one shot with & without the flash, trying to catch the best light. Still learning, of course. Thanks for the advice!