Ratatouille Panzanella Salad

Since I made my first Panzanella Salad with roasted fennel & Heirloom tomatoes back in May 2012, my youngest has been asking me to make it again. It was one of her favorite salads; however, I try not to eat too much bread (especially when it comes to eating salads!). Last week while I was grocery shopping, they had some day old bakery Multigrain bread for a fraction of what it would normally cost and I decided that I would experiment with another panzanella salad.

For this version, I used the base recipe for my Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille recipe; especially since all of these vegetables are in abundance right now. I roasted garden fresh eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes, mixed in the multigrain bread then gently tossed the salad with a light Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette. This salad was wonderful and encompassed all of the flavors of a typical ratatouille. My family really enjoyed it and for me it was a toss up which version I liked best.

Ratatouille Panzanella Salad
Prep Time:   20 minutes                 Yield: 6 cups
Cook Time:  25 minutes                  Serving: 1 cup
Total Time:  45 minutes

Ingredients
For the Ratatouille Panzanella Salad

• 1 lb. Loaf Multigrain Bread
• 2 c. Eggplant, skin on and diced
• 1 Medium Zucchini, skin on and diced
• 1 c. Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/2 Red Onion, diced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 2 Plum Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Prepared Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette

For the Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette

• 1 Lemon, zest and juice
• 2 tbsp. Chardonnay Wine
• 1/4 c. Canola Oil
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated

Directions
For the Ratatouille Panzanella Salad

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Cut the bread into cubes, place on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray
3. Bake for 5-10 minutes; turning once, until they are brown. Remove from oven and cool. 
4. While the bread is in the oven, add your eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, onion, garlic and tomatoes to baking sheet; then drizzle the olive oil on top. Place in the oven with the bread and bake for approximately 15 minutes; turning once. Remove from the oven and cool. 
5. Add the bread, vegetables and prepared Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette to a bowl. Toss to coat and serve. 

For the Lemon Chardonnay Vinaigrette

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until well blended. 

Enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 260, Carbs 23.9g, Fat 16.2g, Protein 7g, Fiber 5.5g, Sugar 4.4g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

Enjoy! 

Ratatouille Panzanella Salad Shopping List

Shared at Carole's Chatter 10/18/13

Shared on Thursday's Treasures 8/1/13

Roasted Fennel & Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

Did you ever go out to eat and have something several times over the years, but never thought to make it at home? Well, after the food bloggers conference last Friday, Lauren from Lauren Kelly Nutrition and Bia, from Rich and Sweet, and I headed out for some dinner at Supper in NYC. We had originally planned to go to another restaurant but when we got there, there was a "B" sign in the window. Thanks to Bia, who lived and worked in the city for many years, for explaining the NYC Health Violation Codes to us and we went elsewhere. 

Some food service establishments that require Health Department permits will receive and post letter grades that correspond to their sanitary inspection scores. These establishments include most restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, retail bakeries, and fixed-site food stands. This document uses the term “restaurants” to refer to all these establishments.Here is a more detailed explanation I found online on NYC Restaurant Grading and what the letters mean:

Grade A. 0 to 13 points for sanitary violations. 
Grade B. 14 to 27 points for sanitary violations. 
Grade C. 28 or more points for sanitary violations.
Grade Pending. A restaurant’s B or C grade is not final until the restaurant has had the opportunity to go before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings Health Tribunal to contest the violations cited against it. Until then, the restaurant has the option to post either the preliminary grade or a card that says “Grade Pending.” Once the grade is final, the restaurant must immediately post the letter grade card and take down the Grade Pending card. that it was a health code sign and it probably wasn't very clean. 

So the next time you head on into the city for dinner, look in the window first. I learn something new everyday! :)

Anyway, back to the story...

We were still quite full from lunch so we opted for some wine and appetizers. One of the items we got was their version of Panzanella salad or Tuscan Bread Salad;  which originated in the Florentine region of Italy. It generally consists of soaked stale bread and chunks of tomatoes and is dressed with olive oil and vinegar and their version was delicious. On Sunday, I was looking for something to make with a london broil I was going to be grilling and since it was a warm day, I wanted to make a salad to go with it. I had a Dove Chocolate Discoveries home party the night before and had an extra loaf of bread leftover. I also had just purchased some beautifully ripe heirloom tomatoes (also known as "ugly" tomatoes) and some fennel that I thought would go nicely in here and boy was I right! My daughter and her friend actually woke up to the smell of the fennel and garlic roasting (I guess that's one way to wake up teenagers!) and came out of the room ready to taste my latest creation. It was a definite hit and we barely had enough for dinnertime as they kept taking "tastes" throughout the day. This salad was so good and I loved how colorful it was. 

Roasted Fennel & Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad
1/2 Fennel Bulb, chopped
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Loaf Italian Bread (1-2 days old ok)
2 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
2 Heirloom ("Ugly") Tomatoes, large dice
Prepared Dressing

In a bowl, mix together the fennel, garlic,  oil, salt and pepper. Add to a baking sheet and roast at 425 for 10 minutes. Cut the bread into cubes, place on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 5-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, fennel mixture and bread to a large bowl. Next, add in the dressing and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serves 4-6. 

Dressing
2 tsp. Capers
3 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, grated

Blend all ingredients together in a mini chopper or blender until smooth. 

Enjoy!