Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad) With Homegrown To...

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”
Lewis Grizzard

We are up to our ears in tomatoes and we love it!

At the start of April we bought tomato seedlings in the hopes we would have the pleasure of a few homegrown tomatoes over the summer. Last year’s efforts were a bit grim so our expectations were not high. I am delighted to report that this has been the best tomato harvest we have ever had in the 3 years of growing our own.

Panzanella is a wonderful way to use up stale bread and hi-light the beautiful flavour of fresh tomatoes – preferably picked straight off the vine! We have a fantastic selection of tomatoes including Roma, Citrina, Sungold and Green Zebra. Nothing hits the spot like a freshly made salad full of Mediterranean flavours and tomatoes you have grown yourself.

Normally panzanella uses stale bread but if you don’t have any on hand you can always use fresh. Just cut it into bite-sized chunks and place on a baking tray in a low temperature oven. You don’t want to toast the bread – just dry it out a little.

Here is my recipe for summer in a bowl.

Luna Raye’s Panzanella or Italian Bread Salad
(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients

3 cups of stale bread (I used a baguette)

A generous handful of tomatoes halved (approx ¾ of a cup) Use a mixture of tomatoes if you can (I used Citrina, Roma and Sungold)

1 small red pepper diced

¼ Spanish onion finely sliced

3 cloves of garlic (I am a garlicoholic so use fewer cloves if you prefer)

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

3-4 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Handful of basil leaves roughly torn

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Add the bread chunks to a large bowl

In a separate bowl add the tomatoes red pepper, onion, garlic, pinch of salt, about ½ the basil and mix well

Add the tomato mixture to the bread chunks and toss so everything is gently mixed

Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic mixture over the top and add a touch more salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Cover and leave for 45 minutes to an hour (you can put it in the fridge but I left mine on the counter top – I find the flavours come out better when it is a little warm)

Just before you serve add the remaining basil and toss everything again. Check to make sure you are happy with the seasoning

The bread should have soaked up all the oil, vinegar and tomato juices so it should be moist but not soggy

Serve up and Enjoy!

Panzanella

Bush Spiced Polenta with Baked Beetroot and Fennel...

Just over a year ago my husband and I were in Queensland, Australia visiting my parents. We had a wonderful time drinking martinis while watching Huey’s Kitchen, going for long (slightly scary) walks in National Parks and making the most of local farmer’s markets and food fairs.

It was at one of these food fairs that I bought a selection of Australian spices. The Oz Tukka pack contains Wattle Seed, Tasmanian Pepper Leaf, Artesian Salt, Lemon Myrtle and Bush Tomato. Lots of great spices to have fun and experiment with.

Of all the spices the bush tomato was one I really fell in love with. It is similar in taste to caramelized sun dried tomatoes which you can use in substitution if you’re unable to get ahold of bush tomato. The spice pack came with some great recipe ideas and so far this salad has been one of our favourites. It is perfect as a starter or light lunch / dinner. The flavours blend really well together and despite all the different components it is quite simple to make.

The recipe serves 6 people but I made this for the 2 of us and it was plenty for a hearty and healthy dinner.

Here is the original Oz Tukka recipe.

Bush Spiced Polenta with Baked Beetroot and Fennel Salad (serves 6)

Ingredients

For the polenta:

250ml polenta

1 Tbsp Oz Tukka Bush Tomato, finely chopped

1 1/2 Oz Tukka Tasmanian Pepper Leaf

For the salad:

6 small beetroots

2 small fennel

4 Tbsp pine nuts, roasted (I used toasted sunflower seeds which were not only delicious they were also much cheaper)

80g feta cheese

Rocket leaves (enough for 6 small salads – I used a good sized handful each for 2 salads)

For the dressing:

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp Oz Tukka macadamia oil or olive oil (I used olive oil)

1/4 tsp Oz Tukka lemon myrtle

Directions

To make polenta follow instructions on polenta pack. Add spices towards end of cooking. Wet a square dish or container, press polenta into dish, levelling the top and allow to cool

NOTE: I had to adapt this slightly as I was only able to get pre-made polenta. Instead of adding the spices into the mix I added them to the pan with a small pat of butter while grilling the polenta

Roast the beetroot and fennel in a moderate oven until cooked. Allow to cool

Slice polenta into 1cm thick slices and grill until golden brown

Arrange on plates

Mix dressing ingredients

Chop fennel and beetroot into large chunks

Drizzle some of the dressing over the beetroot and keep separate

Toss fennel with rocket and remaining dressing

Serve on top of polenta with beetroot, sprinkle with pine nuts and crumbled feta

Enjoy!

If you’re interested in more recipes and information please visit the Oz Tukka website.

Many thanks to my husband Paul who took such a lovely photo!

Spicy Cashew and Cucumber Salad: The Perfect Picni...

The weather here in the UK has been absolutely amazing. It’s been hot and sunny now for weeks and I dare say we are getting used to seeing the sun. It makes a nice change from the usual grey drizzle of an English summer.

So to celebrate the end of a tough work week and get out in nature, my husband and I are going into the Kent countryside tomorrow to find the perfect place for a picnic. The big question is what type of food to bring. Sandwiches are always good. A selection of nibbles maybe? Quiche, potato salad and some hummus and vegetable sticks would also go down a treat.

Thinking about it we decided we wanted to try something completely different. Looking at the many recipes I have bookmarked to try, I found the perfect picnic recipe from last week’s Saturday Morning Kitchen. The guest chef was Bill Granger who made a wonderful looking meal of Spicy Chicken Thighs With Cucumber and Cashew Salad.

The recipe is actually in two parts. The first step is to create a marinade for some boneless chicken thighs. Once prepared, the chicken thighs are left to marinate in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Only 1/2 of the marinade is used for this. The rest of the marinade is used as a base to create a salad dressing for a cucumber and cashew nut salad with vermicelli rice noodles. This salad is served cold while the chicken thighs are served fresh off the grill.

We actually don’t want to make the dish with the chicken thighs for tomorrow’s picnic. We only want to make the salad! It seems like it will be light and refreshing with just the right amount of heat. I may play around with the recipe tonight so it’s ready to go when we leave first thing in the morning. I may add some shredded carrot to it as well, just to give it a bit more crunch and colour.

We are approaching tomorrow with an open mind so we aren’t really sure where we will end up. The one thing we do know is that we will have some delicious food to eat when we get to wherever we are going!

I hope you are all making the most of this glorious picnic weather. Please drop me a line and tell me about your perfect picnic foods.

Fillet Steak with Frites and Caesar Salad. A Recip...

Last night my husband surprised me with a pre-Valentines romantic meal! He grilled 2 fillet steaks and served them with frites and a Caesar salad. It was wonderful and the Caesar salad made it extra special as he used my Grandfather’s recipe for Caesar dressing – which simply is the best Caesar dressing I have ever tasted.

Here is my Grandfather’s recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves (minced).
• 1 anchovy fillet (or 1 Tbsp of anchovy paste).
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
• 2 egg yolks slightly beaten.
• 3 Tbsp of “Maille a L’Ancienne” mustard. This is a type of Dijon mustard with seeds and is A VERY IMPORTANT INGREDIENT.
• Juice of ¼ lemon.
• ½ cup of olive oil (I do use slightly less)
• 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce.
• 2 dashes of Tabasco.
• 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese.

Method:

Add all the ingredients together in the order they appear in this ingredients list. Combine each ingredient well before adding the next one. This will make the basic dressing.

Use 1 large head of Romaine lettuce (this should make enough for 4 servings).

Toss the Romaine with the dressing.

Add another ½ cup of Parmesan cheese and toss again till well mixed.

Just before serving you can add crushed bacon and/or croutons. Toss again just before serving and enjoy!

Tonight it’s MY turn to make the romantic meal. Wish me luck.

Fillet Steak with Caesar Salad and Frites