Dressed Up Sourdough Panzanella

This one has been in the works for a long time. I really like the idea of making a panzanella where I grew the tomatoes and baked the bread myself, and finally my plants are giving me ripe fruit!

For those of you who are unfamiliar, panzanella is essentially a bread salad. Traditionally it was made as a way to use stale bread, but here we will toast the bread to get a little extra flavor. Though I don't dislike greens, it's nice to mix things up a bit (I've been eating a ton of greens since I often get them in my CSA box), and this salad is all tomatoes and bread. The vinaigrette is very punchy, which I think is necessary in this type of dish and also makes it quite refreshing. Following a brilliant tip from a Serious Eats article on the subject, I salted the tomatoes and collected the juices to add to the vinaigrette, which really made it pop. I thought I'd want some sliced red onion in the panzanella, but I actually found that it wasn't necessary - there was plenty of flavor already. This panzanella is "dressed up" because there are some extra herbs and chunks of mozzarella in addition to the bread and tomatoes. The mozzarella soaks up some of the dressing too, making it super flavorful. This panzanella is the perfect late summer dish!

Dressed Up Sourdough Panzanella

Yield: 4 servings

Adapted from Serious Eats and NYT Cooking

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb mixed tomatoes

2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

12 oz (3/4 lb) crusty sourdough bread

6 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed

10 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 small shallot, minced

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (if you want an extra strong dressing, you can even bump this up a bit)

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

A couple of big handfuls of basil leaves, slivered (to taste)

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (lemon thyme is great, if you can find it)

1. Preheat an oven to 350 F. Large dice the tomatoes and toss with 2 tsp kosher salt in a colander or strainer set over a bowl. Set aside to drain for 15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cube the bread to about 1". Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, spread on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes, until crisp but not browned.
3. Set the bread cubes aside to cool and remove the tomatoes to a serving bowl. To the bowl with the tomato juices, add the shallot, garlic, mustard, and red wine vinegar. Whisk to combine, and continue whisking as you add the remaining olive oil (1/2 cup). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add the bread cubes and mozzarella to the tomatoes and toss with the vinaigrette. Gently fold in the basil and thyme. Let the salad rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until bread cubes are soft but not soggy. Dig in!