Best Fried Bread Panzanella With Ricotta And Herbs Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S PANZANELLA

Chef John's Panzanella image

The key to this panzanella is frying the bread cubes in loads of olive oil in a skillet, which obviously makes them crispy. But the healthful fat also soaks into the bread cubes and renders them semi-waterproof, or dressing-proof. The same goes for the dusting of Parmesan cheese applied halfway through the crisping process.

Provided by Chef John

Categories Salad

Time 1h

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

2 cups 1/2-inch stale bread cubes, or more to taste
¼ cup olive oil, or to taste
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
½ teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste
1 pinch white sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced, or more to taste

Steps:

Pour bread into a large skillet and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, working in batches if necessary. Cook and stir bread over medium heat, adding more oil as needed, until bread cubes are golden and crispy on the outside, 7 to 12 minutes.
Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of the bread cubes; cook and stir until cheese is melted onto bread, and bread is crispy on the outside but still chewy on the inside, 3 to 4 minutes more. Cool completely.
Combine tomatoes, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl until well-mixed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until flavors combine, about 20 minutes.
Toss basil into tomato mixture; add bread cubes and stir. Let salad sit at room temperature 3 to 4 minutes; if the liquid is completely absorbed, add more vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Season with salt and black pepper.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 745.5 calories, Carbohydrate 68.4 g, Cholesterol 8.8 mg, Fat 45.8 g, Fiber 4.2 g, Protein 17.5 g, SaturatedFat 7.9 g, Sodium 927 mg, Sugar 3.3 g

PANZANELLA

Panzanella image

Provided by Giada De Laurentiis

Categories side-dish

Time 1h15m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1/4 cup drained capers
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
12 ounces ciabatta or other country-style white bread, 2 to3 days old
2 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
9 ripe tomatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds total), cored and scored on the bottom
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 cup drained roasted red bell pepper strips
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Steps:

Soak the capers in 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes. Drain.
Cut the crust off of the bread. Cut into 2-inch slices and grill, drizzling about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on both sides of the bread. Once grilled, cut or tear bread into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
Submerge the tomatoes into a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl of ice water to cool slightly. Using a small sharp paring knife, peel off the tomato skins. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of the olive oil, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes, and basil; toss to combine.
Transfer half of the bread mixture to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish.
Arrange half of the roasted peppers, drained capers, and olives over the bread mixture. Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining roasted peppers, capers, and olives. Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for flavors to blend, at least 1 hour.
Garnish with the basil sprigs and serve.