Side Garden Panzanella Salad
Excerpted from The Side Gardener by Rosie Daykin. Copyright © 2024 Rosie Daykin. Photographs by Andrew Montgomery. Published by Appetite an imprint of Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
A dish where swaps are encouraged; use any leafy green of your choice and whatever is fresh from the garden, be it raw beets in place of the radishes or chunks of zucchini in lieu of cucumber. Rosie Daykin, author of The Side Gardener: Recipes and Notes from My Garden, insists on using a lovely sourdough bread to make the croutons and says not to skimp on the olive oil when toasting them, advising that croutons that are too dry won’t soak up the dressing in the same delicious way.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “These Vegetable-Forward Dishes Are Perfect for Summer Parties.”
How to Make It
1
Make the salad: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2
Place the cubed bread pieces in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Use your hands or a large spoon to toss and coat the pieces.
3
Spread the bread across the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and Italian seasoning. Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until the bread is just starting to get a little crispy and brown. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool.
4
Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Gently lower the trimmed green beans into the boiling water and allow them to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until a lovely bright green. Remove the beans from the heat and drain through a colander. Run cold water over the beans for a minute or so and then set them aside to drain.
5
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk until the dressing is fully combined.
6
In a large serving bowl, combine the tomatoes, green beans, fresh peas, radishes, cucumber, arugula, basil, chives, and bread. Dress the salad and toss to combine.
Ingredients
Salad
4 thick slices sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp flaky sea salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ lb green beans, trimmed
4 large tomatoes, seeds removed and cut into 8 wedges each
1 cup fresh English peas
6 to 8 radishes, thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 big handful arugula
1 handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
Dressing
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ cup olive oil
Directions
1
Make the salad: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2
Place the cubed bread pieces in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Use your hands or a large spoon to toss and coat the pieces.
3
Spread the bread across the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and Italian seasoning. Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until the bread is just starting to get a little crispy and brown. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool.
4
Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Gently lower the trimmed green beans into the boiling water and allow them to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until a lovely bright green. Remove the beans from the heat and drain through a colander. Run cold water over the beans for a minute or so and then set them aside to drain.
5
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk until the dressing is fully combined.
6
In a large serving bowl, combine the tomatoes, green beans, fresh peas, radishes, cucumber, arugula, basil, chives, and bread. Dress the salad and toss to combine.
