Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Italian Panzanella!!!

We just had it for lunch today and I had to come here and post it to share!
I saw the recipe at Fernanda's blog and it looked so pretty and refreshing that I had to try.
It's been nice and hot here these past few days, just as we like it, so fresh and simple meals are all we need to cope with the heat.
This salad has the bonus of being made in advance and enough protein from beans and cheese that enable you to have it as a one course meal.
And I have to say that this was one of the best vegetarian salad meals I have ever had!!!!
Really good and yummy, I loooooved the flavor, which although very simple were tasty enough to keep me going for more.
I made half recipe in the morning and had with Matheus for lunch, we polished off the entire thing, so good!
The crusty bread really absorbed the flavors and was Matheus' favorite part. I just loved white beans and those creamy white pearl together with the tomatoes were my favorite by far!
My only change was to use thinly sliced zucchini instead of the cucumbers and it was also great this way! (I do prefer zucchini and it was what I had on hand).
For those who don't like the raw onion sharp flavors I leave here a tip, which I use often as Matheus is not the biggest fan of the onion in the raw: after slicing the onions put them in a small container filled with cold water and a pinch of sugar, leave there while you prepare your dish - the onions will loose the sharp/spicy bite and get more of a mellow flavor, revealing some of its natural sweetness.
I know more people are going to like this one, it is perfect for the summer days when we don't even want to think about turning on the stove, and it will certainly be made over and over around here for the months to come!!
Enjoy!!
Ana

Italian Panzanella

For the recipe in English click here!

For the recipe in Portuguese, and a quick look at Fernanda's awesome blog, click here!

8 comments:

Fer Guimaraes Rosa said...

Ana, fica tao boa, nao? Eu tambem vou fazer essa salada muitas vezes ainda no verao, pois ela substitui uma refeicao. De-li-ci-oooo-sa!! :-)

beijaoo,

Cláudia said...

Ana, eu adoro essa mistura de salada com pão, várias amigas já fizeram, preciso fazer também para não ficar por fora!.Ah, eu adorei o vinagrete de laranja.Anotei outros cítricos também. Qualquer salada fica deliciosa!
Beijão

Cláudia B.

Cris said...

Esta salada é mesmo um show, já fiz aqui quase igual, receita da diva Martha, e realmente, é uma refeição!

Valentina said...

I love Italian panzanela. It is one of the best summer salads there are.

Camila L said...

Hi, Ana! I found your space through one friend and another and I LOVE IT! Love your recipes, love the way you write, love everything! I once lived in NC and have very special friends there ;)
Gonna have you linked to my page, ok? BTW, I am dying to try this panzanella but weather in Brazil right now is more for a feijoada! C ya!

Camila L said...

OI, Ana! Obrigada pelas visitas... eu morei em Burgaw, perto de Wilmingotn, bem mais ao sul. E conheço bem a Cris, trabalhamos na mesma empresa, só que home office então dá pra cozinhar bastante..... ahaha! Um beijo!

Ashley said...

i saw your post over on the CLBB about this and it looks AWESOME! definitely very refreshing for summertime :)

Ana said...

Fer, muito boa mesmo, adoramos e ja fiz outra vez!!

Claudia, eh muito gostosa, ne?! Que bom q gostou do vinagrete de laranja, eh meu preferido!!

Cris, eh uma refeicao deliciosa!

Valentina, you are absolutely right!

Camila, thanks for the visit!!!

Ashley, this is really refreshing! Try it, I am sure you are going to like it too!!

Ana