Greek Panzanella (Bread Salad)

Blogging Marathon# 41: Week 2/ Day 1
Theme: Picnic Hamper Dishes
Dish: Greek Panzanella (Bread Salad)

We are starting our 2nd week of blogging marathon today and my theme for this week is 'Picnic Hamper dishes'. Warm weather is finally here, which means its time for picnics, camping, beaches and all things related to the outdoors.

One of our dear friends organizes a picnic every year and that is one picnic all of us look forward to. There is always so much food and it is a great time to hang out in the sun and chat with friends. This year we had a Mother's day picnic in May and here are some pictures of the food and the beautiful views.

For Day 1 I made a very simple and filling bread salad called Panzanella. I made a bread that turned out little too dense for our taste, so I was looking for ways to use it and this Greek style bread salad sounded just perfect. The bread soaks up the dressing and the juces from the veggies and becomes soft and delicious. Using a nice crusty bread is really important otherwise bread will get soggy.

Panzanella salad is a perfect salad to bring to a picnic because it is mayo free and there are no dairy products -- so it can be left out for quite some time. Also it tastes better after absorbing all the flavors.  

Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe here:
Ingredients:
French Bread - 1 small, cut into cubes (3~4 cups)
Red pepper - 1 small, cubed
English Cucumber - 1 small, chopped
Red onion - 1 small, thinly sliced
Tomato - 1, deseeded and chopped
Kalamata Olives - 3tbsp
Feta cheese - optional (I didn't add any cheese)
Salt - to taste

For the Dressing:
Dried Oregano - ½tsp
Garlic - 1 clove, finely minced
Dijon Mustard - ¼tbsp
Red Wine Vinegar - 2tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 3~4tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

• In a large skillet, heat 2tbsp olive oil and toss in the chopped bread cubes. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, until the bread is nicely toasted on all sides.
• Combine chopped peppers, cucumber, onion, tomato and olives in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dressing until well combined.
• Add the dressing, bread cubes and feta cheese (if using) to the veggies. Toss to combine. Set aside for 20~30 minutes for the flavors to mingle. Serve at room temperature.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 41.