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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

  1. Preheat a grill to medium. 
  2. 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). 
  3. 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. 
  4. Tear the bread into large bite-side pieces. 
  5. In a large bow, combine the tomatoes, chopped basil, fennel, and torn bread and toss to combine.

DRESSING

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, and salt to taste until emulsified. 
  2. Pour the dressing over the salad and season with salt. 
  3. 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. 
  4. Garnish with the licorice basil before serving. 

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