This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
In its traditional version, panzanella is an Italian dish prepared with croutons, mozzarella and fresh tomatoes. During our Quebec winter, we used bread made from local flours to prepare croutons, local buffalo mozzarella, and… a rainbow of root vegetables to enjoy in different ways!
Ingredients
½ square loaf cut into large 2 cm cubes (about 2 liters/8 cups)
7 tbsp. tablespoon (105 ml) camelina oil
3 good pinches of salt
2 medium red beets, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
4 medium orange carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
½ medium celery root, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
1 French shallot, very finely sliced
4 tbsp. teaspoon (20 ml) homemade pesto
4 tbsp. teaspoon (20 ml) verjuice
2 balls of fresh local mozzarella, torn into pieces
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with ¼ cup (60 ml) of oil and 2 good pinches of salt.
3. Spread the bread cubes in one layer, without overlapping. Cook for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp, stirring halfway through cooking. To book.
4. Meanwhile, in the same bowl, mix the vegetable cubes with 2 tbsp. tablespoons (30 ml) of oil and a good pinch of salt.
5. When the croutons are ready, reserve them in a bowl and arrange the vegetables on the same plate, in one layer, without packing them too much. Cook for 25 minutes (stir halfway through cooking), or until tender and golden.
6. While the vegetables cook, in a small bowl, combine the shallot, the remaining tablespoon (15 ml) of oil, the pesto and the verjuice. Leave the shallots to marinate in the vinaigrette.
7. When the vegetables are ready, remove them from the oven then pour the vinaigrette and shallots on top. Mix well.
8. To serve, arrange the seasoned vegetables, croutons and pieces of mozzarella in a deep plate.
Note
If you love fresh mozzarella, don’t hesitate to bring an extra ball!
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.