For years, I’ve thought I should make cooking videos, to be able to teach my recipes as I do in the Thrive Kitchen.  I decided to take the plunge, and am sharing the first effort here.  It’s unedited, so please be understanding! Hope you enjoy it and that it helps you understand how to make this recipe.  More to come (possibly ;).  This is another of the recipes that I had been hoping to teach in last week’s cancelled Thrive Kitchen on reducing food waste.  To your health!

Roasted Tomato Panzanella with Cannellini Beans and Pickled Red Onions

Panzanella is a classic Tuscan chopped salad of soaked stale bread, onions and tomatoes that is popular in the summer.  In this version, I pan-roast grape tomatoes (which can be past prime, a little wrinkly) to concentrate their flavor, add cannellini beans for added nutrition, and vinegary quick-pickled red onion for a punch of flavor.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 can cannellini beans, low sodium, drained (may substitute chickpeas)

4 cloves garlic, minced

loaf of day old crusty bread, such as ciabatta or baguette (about 3/4 lb), cut into bite-sized cubes

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for beans

½ cup pickled red onions (recipe here)

1/4 cup torn basil or mint leaves or arugula

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Technique

1. Rinse and drain beans, and minced garlic, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Allow to marinate while proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
2. To toast the bread, first cut it into cubes and then toast over medium heat in a dry frying pan, tossing periodically until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes.  You could also grill or bake it. Remove to a mixing bowl when done.
3. Meanwhile, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, then add tomatoes. Toss occasionally, and cook until the skins are wrinkled, then turn heat to medium low and continue to cook until tomatoes soften and burst with slight pressure from a spatula, or spontaneously, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
4. Add bursted tomatoes into bowl of toasted bread, then add the marinated beans,  balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and pickled red onion. Toss all ingredients together. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes for flavors to meld and to cool slightly, then add  torn herbs or arugula and adjust salt and black pepper to taste.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Cookbook coming March 2021! Spicebox Kitchen, Da Capo Press.

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