CORNBREAD PANZANELLA

Cornbread Panzanella image

Provided by Kardea Brown

Time 1h40m

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 23

3 slices thick-cut bacon
Day-old Cornbread, recipe follows, cut into 1-inch cubes
Vegetable oil, for the pan, optional
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish, optional
2 tablespoons capers
1 English cucumber, seeded and cut into half-moons (about 2 cups)
1 small red onion, halved and very thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
Vegetable shortening or cooking spray, for the pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plain cornmeal
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg

Steps:

Cook the bacon in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool, reserving the drippings in the skillet, then chop.
Add half of the Cornbread cubes to the hot bacon drippings in the skillet and brown on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the skillet and let cool. Add vegetable oil to the skillet if it becomes dry, then brown the remaining cornbread cubes. Let cool.
Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, basil, capers, cucumber and onion. Toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve right away.
Just before serving, add the cornbread cubes and bacon and toss. Garnish with additional basil, if desired.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking pan with vegetable shortening or cooking spray.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, butter, vegetable oil and egg in a separate bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. (The batter will be lumpy and thick.)
Bake the cornbread until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.