Heirloom tomato fennel panzanella
Excerpted from Fraiche Food, Full Hearts: A Collection of Recipes for Every Day and Casual Celebrations by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Copyright © 2019 by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Photography copyright © 2019 by Janis Nicolay. Published by Penguin Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
SERVES
4
TO
6
Ingredients
SALAD
- 1 baguette, halved lengthwise
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing baguette
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- Sea salt, to taste
- 6 cups roughly chopped heirloom tomatoes (about 1 1/2 inch pieces)
- 1 cup (250 mL) chopped fresh basil, for garnish
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) shaved fennel
- Handful of fresh licorice basil (or regular basil), for garnish
DRESSING
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Salt, to taste
Directions
SALAD
- Preheat a grill to medium.
- Brush both sides of the baguette halves generously with olive oil and grill on both sides until lightly brown with grill marks. (Alternatively, toast under the broiler).
- Transfer to a large platter, and once cool to the touch, roughly rub the cut side of the bread with the garlic halves and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
- Tear the bread into large bite-side pieces.
- In a large bow, combine the tomatoes, chopped basil, fennel, and torn bread and toss to combine.
DRESSING
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, and salt to taste until emulsified.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and season with salt.
- Set aside at room temperature for one to two hours before serving, if possible, to allow the bread to absorb some of the dressing and the tomato juices.
- Garnish with the licorice basil before serving.
