Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan salad typically made with moistened stale bread, tomatoes, and an assortment of other veggies, usually with a standard vinaigrette. And a classic panzanella salad is great, don’t get me wrong, but the addition of herbs, feta, sweetness from the pomegranate seeds and the slight bite from the chive oil vinaigrette will easily elevate this salad far from the classic. Some think of this as an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of salad, and a great way to expunge your fridge of veggies before their expiration, and there may be some truth to that, however with some careful planning, these ingredients just go so well together that’s it’s far from a throw together.
This salad really popped into my head while at the Queen Creek Olive Mill in Queen Creek, AZ, this weekend for their annual Garlic Festival. I obviously bought garlic, but strolling through their little marketplace always inspires me. While their main specialties are obviously olive related, a huge variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, they also have fresh pasta, an assortment of local flours, honey and jams, artisan crafts from local vendors and a great selection of freshly baked breads. They have an olive loaf, filled with olives harvested on-site at the Queen Creek Olive Mill that in the past has been a real winner in the most basic form with a little olive oil or as a vessel for a crostini. With my olive loaf in hand, I ventured home only to discover the olive loaf 2 days later still sitting on the counter. The key to a great Panzanella is not to use the freshest of breads. You actually want a bread with some bite to it, so one that’s been sitting on the counter for a couple of days past being baked, or even stale, will absolutely help this salad as the bread will soak up the dressing and make for little flavor bombs. A 2 day past-prime olive loaf from the Queen Creek Olive Mill was just screaming to me that a Panzanella salad was very much in need of being made.
The day following the QCOM visit, I found myself at one of the international markets I tend to frequent here, one that really focuses on middle eastern ingredients. Aside from having great produce, they also have an incredible cheese and olive deli counter. I always grab a giant brick of Bulgarian feta as it’s my feta of choice and it provides just the right amount of added saltiness for me. I was also pleasantly surprised to see pomegranates starting to hit the shelves and that hit the grocery cart on the way out.
I know you’re probably thinking “Chive Oil, how am I gonna do that?”, but the reality is it’s probably the easiest thing you can do with this salad. It’ a combination of fresh chives and a good extra virgin olive oil, combined in a blender and then strained. The recipe is included below and you’ll thank yourself for making it because it’s absolutely delicious. The recipe will also yield some leftover oil which would go great on the remaining bread at 2am when you can’t sleep!
The real star of the Panzanella is the bread, after all it is a bread salad. While any loaf of bread will suffice, if you have the ability to score a nice semolina loaf, or something with herbs or olives, I would absolutely recommend that you do so. This salad will still be great even with the most basic of loaves but something a bit unique or providing additional flavor will definitely prove to be beneficial to the outcome.
Pomegranate and Feta Panzanella Salad with Chive Oil Viniagrette
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 cups bread cubes cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup arugula packed
- 1/4 cup mint chopped
- 1/4 cup tarragon chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch slices
- 1/2 medium sized red onion sliced thin
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds plus more for topping
- 1 cup feta plus more for topping
Salad Dressing
- 1/2 cup chive oil you can use regular extra virgin olive oil but I made fresh chive oil and used it here in the vinaigrette .
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place the bread cubes on a baking or sheet tray and pop in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until slightly golden brown. Remove and allow to cool before combining with other salad ingredients.
- Combine salad dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well until combined.
- Add the bread cubes to the remaining salad ingredients in a serving bowl. Top with additional feta and pomegranate seeds. Pour dressing over the salad and combine well.
To make the chive oil:
- In a blender, combine 1 cup of chives with 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Process until no large visible chive chunks are seen, about 5 total minutes of blending. Remove and pour into a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and allow the liquid to drain out. You want to avoid anything other than the pure green olive oil to pass through. You will use 1/2 cup with this recipe, and the remaining 1/2 cup will go great on anything else in place of traditional "normal" olive oil.Chive oil is incredibly easy to make, and visually it will excite your guests due to the vibrant green color.
