Category: Sides

When I told K that Greek Panzanella was on the menu for this week, she offered to move in. I mean, since the hubby doesn’t share the same taste in vegetables that I do, I need someone else living here to help eat tasty dishes that he doesn’t like. Well, K, you get to keep your place, share my dish, and even go home with a doggy bag. As soon as we tossed everything together, she and I were picking out the pieces of from this Greek salad well before the rest of the meal was on the table. Hope you enjoyed the left overs and get a chance to make this real soon!

PS – This dish be prepared ahead of time, and tossed together 30 minutes prior to serving.

Greek Panzanella

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa on Food Network

Serves 6

Ingredients for the Salad:

• Olive oil
• 6 c. French bread cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3/4 a baguette)
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 bell peppers, in a large dice
• 1 cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, then quartered and seeded
• 1 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 a red onion, in a large dice
• 1/2 lb. feta cheese, cut into cubes (or 8-oz. crumbled feta)
• 1/2 c. calamata olives, pitted (optional)

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black peppers
• 1/2 c. olive oil

Prepare the Salad:

Brown the bread cubes, either in a large saute pan on the stove (medium heat, tossing frequently for 5-10 minutes) or on a baking sheet in the stove (450F for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through). Bread cubes should be drizzled with olive oil (about 3 Tbs.) and salt before toasting. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place cucumber, onion, peppers, and tomato in a large bowl, while setting aside the feta, olives, and toasted bread.

Make the Vinaigrette:

Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil. Add olive oil slowly, still whisking. Pour 3/4 of vinaigrette over vegetables and set aside.

30 minutes prior to serving, toss vegetables with bread, feta, and olives. Allow flavors to blend. If needed, add remaining vinaigrette.

Serve at room temperature.

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I was really happy to see Pink Parsley Catering picked Scalloped Tomatoes for one of this month’s Barefoot Bloggers recipe. I had seen Ina make it earlier this year and have been wanting to try it, but my hubby doesn’t eat tomatoes. Glad I got the excuse to make this, even if I was eating it all by myself. It reminded me of warm bruchetta – the crunch of the bread and Parmesan with the wonderful basil and tomatoes. Another great one from Ina!

Note: I did edit the dish to serve 2 instead of 6, and used slightly less tomatoes than called for (reflected below).

Scalloped Tomatoes

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 3/4 c. dense bread cut into 1/2-inch diced (I used day old French bread with crust but Ina calls for a French boulle without the crust)
• 4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• scant 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• scant 1/4 c. julienned basil leaves
• scant 1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add bread cubes and stir to coat, drizzling a little more olive oil if needed. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring periodically, until cubes are evenly browned. Then add tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Pour tomatoes into a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and drizzle with 2 tsp. olive oil. Bake 30-40 minutes until top is browned and tomatoes are bubbling.

One of the great things about summer are the BBQs and all the time outside. Almost every week, a bunch of us would head to the park with all sorts of goodies to grill on the park’s charcoal grill. We’ play volleyball or soccer, watch the kids on the playground, and maybe go for a walk or go kayaking. Then, we’d crank up the grill and enjoy lunch or dinner in the sun.

This salad is the perfect accompaniment to a summer BBQ. It can be made up to 3 days a head of time and served warm or at room temperature. Add as much fresh herbs you’d like – I loved it with lots of fresh basil.

Couscous & Grilled Veggie Salad

Adapted from Fine Cooking #73 (p. 59)

Serves 10-12

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette:

• 1/3 c. red-wine vinegar
• 1/8 c. chopped black olives
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients for the Salad:

• extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch strips
• 3 small carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 small bunch scallions, trimmed

Ingredients for the Couscous:

• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1-3/4 c. uncooked couscous
• 2+ Tbs. chopped fresh basil (or mint, parsley, or a mix)
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• lemon juice, to taste

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, 1 Tbs. of the olives, mustard, and olive oil. Whisk in the remaining olives. Season to taste with pepper.

Grill the vegetables: Heat grill on medium-high heat. Brush veggies with oil and season with salt. Grill until veggies are marked and tender, turning as needed. The zucchini, peppers and scallions with be ready first, the eggplant second (be sure to make sure it’s still a bit crunchy), and the carrots last. Let cool slightly.

Put together the salad: Bring 2 c. water, oil add salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

Chop veggies into 3/4-inch pieces. Toss with half of the vinaigrette.

Fluff couscous and toss with veggies, remaining vinaigrette and fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

One of the things I love about summer is the BBQs and fresh foods. While so many pasta salads are made with mayo or Italian dressing, I like to mix it up a bit. I’ve made this pasta salad a couple of times, varying both the veggies and herbs that get mixed in.

Orzo Salad with Grilled Zucchini & Red Peppers

Adapted from Fine Cooking No. 80 (p. 36, 39)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients for the Rosemary Oil

• 1 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped off and minced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Let cook about 5 minutes, until the flavors fused and the oil is bubbling (let oil bubble/sizzle 2-3 minutes).  Set aside to cool. Extra oil may be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Ingredients for the Salad:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 1/4 lb. zucchini
• 5+ Tbs. rosemary oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 3/4 lb. orzo pasta (or fregola or other small pasta)

Grill the Veggies: Heat grill to medium heat.

Note: If you’re using a grill basket to grill the veggies, its easiest to cut into 1-inch chunks before grilling. If not, slice both peppers and zucchini into quarters.

Toss veggies with 2 Tbs. oil, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Grill until veggies have nice grill marks and are tender, tossing as necessary. Remove from heat.

Make Pasta Salad: Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain.

Toss grilled veggies, pasta, red wine vinegar, and remaining 3 Tbs. rosemary oil. Add additional rosemary, oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Serve cold or at room temperature.