Panzanella (Bread Salad)

I came up with this recipe a few days ago and actually made it on Friday. While I was preparing it, I found out that my camera battery was dead. I had to charge it while we ate, but I figured that there would be some panzanella left after dinner to take a picture of...not a chance! There was not a single piece left! I could barely keep Justin at bay to finish it! Ha, ha! :)

So, anyway...panzanella is a salad consisting of any veggies you like, with toasted, cubed bread and a vinaigrette dressing. There are many, many different versions of this salad, so feel free to add whatever you like to it! My friend, Nicole makes a great bread salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and mozzarella. The inspiration to create my own version came from her...thanks, Nicole! :)

So, here's the recipe:

-a loaf of crusty bread, sliced into 1 inch slices (you can use Italian or any of the artisan breads that look good to you. Just don't use the ends of the bread.)

-an English cucumber, chopped (it may also be called a Seedless Cucumber or Burpless Cucumber. It comes in plastic and is usually hiding behind the regular cucumbers.)

-1 to 2 cups of halved cherry or grape tomatoes (you can certainly use any tomatoes you have on hand. I just like the smaller tomatoes because they are always good and seem to have more flavor than the larger tomatoes.)

-1 cup of halved, pitted Kalamata olives (these taste more like Spanish Green Olives, so if you don't like green olives, you can use the regular black olives)

-6 to 8 oz of crumbled feta cheese (just use either of those amounts that you find in the store. I hate when I find recipe that calls for a certain amount and you end up having a small amount left. Besides, with cheese, you can never have too much!)
-3 TBS capers, fried in olive oil (they come out so crispy and salty and add a nice finish to the salad)
-a handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced

-a handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

-3 to 4 scallions, chopped

-1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp of honey

Set the broiler to high. Place the sliced bread on a broiler pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on both sides of each slice of bread. Toast to your level of doneness. Let it cool while preparing the remaining ingredients. Combine the tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, herbs and feta into a large bowl, salt and pepper to taste. In a smaller bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil and honey, whisking until combined. The dressing should look smooth and you shouldn't be able to see the separate components. When the bread has cooled, cut into large chunks. Place on top of the salad. Just before serving, add half of the dressing into the bowl, toss and then add the remaining dressing and toss again. You may salt and pepper the salad again if you think it needs it.

The first time I made this, I used about half the amount of bread and cucumber (to feed 6 people), thinking that there would be some leftover. The second time, I used the whole loaf and had to feed 10 people and had none leftover. So, it sounds and looks like a lot, but it goes quickly! If you want to have the salad for the next day, keep all of the components separate. Then, when you're ready, you can mix it all together. This would be a great way to pack it for lunch! You could even add shredded chicken or sausage to this to have a complete meal! Like I said before, there are many versions of a panzanella salad, so use whatever veggies and cheese that you like...make up a version of your own! :)