A Different Kind of Salad

I had some leftover french bread that was going to go stale. I realized I had a perfect recipe to solve my problem.

Panzanella (from Julie O.)

2 tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 C fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
3 TBSP balsamic or red wine vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper
6-8 thick-cut slices of crusty baguette bread

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Place half the bread in a wide, shallow bowl. Spoon half the vegetables over bread. Layer remaining bread on top and then remaining vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Toss salad and adjust seasonings as needed. If bread is dry, add a little oil or vinegar. Serve immediately.

I serve this with the orecchiette with bacon and tomato sauce. I did not have fresh basil (and my husband doesn't really care for it), so I substituted dried basil and added a little oregano too. It's better with fresh, but dried works in a pinch. Very tasty and would be nice with any grilled meat or light Italian dish.

Since I have bacon...

I don't usually keep bacon in the house. This despite the fact that I could get my husband to eat shoe leather if it were wrapped in bacon. But the Beef bourguignon called for bacon and I only used 5 pieces so I had leftovers. Lo and behold, another recipe in my Everyday Food called for bacon and it looked perfect for Friday night:

Orecchiete with bacon and tomato sauce (from Everyday Food magazine)

1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, cut into one-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
grated parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over med-high heat. Add bacon and cook until browned and almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce to simmer and cook until slightly reduced, 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta one minute less than package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid; drain pasta and return to pot.

3. Add sauce and pasta water to pasta and toss to combine; cook on med-high until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Serve with cheese and parsley.


I couldn't find orecchiette so I used gemelli which worked well. This was quick (about 30 minutes), super easy and very tasty. It's a bit spicy but not overwhelming.