Charred Corn Panzanella Recipes

PANZANELLA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, yellow pepper, parsley, and basil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, and garlic. Pour lemon juice mixture over the tomato mixture, and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, or until toasted and dry.
• Toss bread cubes with tomato mixture, and serve.

CHARRED NECTARINE & PROSCIUTTO PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush the bread with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and scatter over some sea salt and thyme leaves. Roast for 15 mins, turning once, until crispy and golden. Break up into a bowl and toss with the capers.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and the mustard to make a dressing, then pour half over the bread.
• Heat a grill pan to a high heat and sprinkle in some sea salt. Drizzle the nectarines with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and grill, flesh-side down, until charred. Add to the bowl with the bread, along with the basil, sorrel, chervil and tarragon.
• Season and toss everything together, then pile onto a serving platter. Top with the ricotta, prosciutto and hazelnuts, and serve with the remaining dressing on the side, if you like.

CHEF JOHN'S PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Pour bread into a large skillet and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, working in batches if necessary. Cook and stir bread over medium heat, adding more oil as needed, until bread cubes are golden and crispy on the outside, 7 to 12 minutes.
• Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of the bread cubes; cook and stir until cheese is melted onto bread, and bread is crispy on the outside but still chewy on the inside, 3 to 4 minutes more. Cool completely.
• Combine tomatoes, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl until well-mixed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until flavors combine, about 20 minutes.
• Toss basil into tomato mixture; add bread cubes and stir. Let salad sit at room temperature 3 to 4 minutes; if the liquid is completely absorbed, add more vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Season with salt and black pepper.

CHARRED CORN SALAD WITH BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over high heat.
• Brush or rub each cob with some canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the corn on the hot grill and char each side, 2 to 3 minutes per side. You want the corn to get great char marks! Once the corn has charred, set aside until cool enough to handle. Once the corn has cooled, stand each ear up, stalk end down, in a wide, shallow bowl and, using your knife, slice the corn kernels off the cob.
• Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a food processor, add the basil and garlic and pulse until the basil starts to break down. Add the vinegar. Continue pulsing while adding the oil in a steady stream and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes and red onion. Drizzle the basil vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

CHARRED-PEACH PANZANELLA WITH PICKLED PEPPER VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Whisk garlic, pickle brine, mustard, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Add tomatoes and pickled peppers and gently toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, while you cook the bacon, bread, and peaches.
• Arrange bacon in a cold large cast-iron skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly crisp (there can still be a few soft, chewy spots if you're into that sort of thing), about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour bacon fat into a small bowl; set aside. Wipe out skillet.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. reserved bacon fat in same skillet. Working in batches and adding more bacon fat as needed, toast bread until golden (a few char marks are fine), about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Wipe out skillet.
• Heat another 1 Tbsp. bacon fat (if you've run out, use vegetable or olive oil) in same skillet and cook peach halves, cut side down, until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let sit until cool enough to handle. Slice each half in half again or into thirds and add to bowl with tomatoes. Tear toasted bread into 1"-1½" pieces and add to bowl. Add bacon and toss gently to combine and saturate bread with juices collected in bowl.
• Transfer panzanella to a platter or individual bowls to serve.

CORN BREAD PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Make corn bread croutons:
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Heat bacon fat in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in middle of oven 5 minutes.
• While fat heats, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together egg and milk in a small bowl, then add to dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
• Carefully remove hot skillet from oven and stir scallions into hot fat (they will sizzle). Stir fat with scallions and melted butter into batter until just combined, then pour batter into hot skillet. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Turn corn bread out onto a rack and cool 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
• Cut corn bread into 3/4-inch cubes and spread in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in upper third of oven until edges are golden, about 10 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack.
• Make salad:
• Roast red and yellow bell peppers on racks of gas burners over high heat, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened, 10 to 12 minutes (or broil peppers on a broiler pan about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes). Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, then let stand 20 minutes.
• When cool enough to handle, peel peppers, discarding stems and seeds, and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Whisk together vinegars, kosher salt, and black pepper in a large bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking. Add tomatoes, onion, and olives to vinaigrette, tossing to coat, and marinate 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add roasted peppers, cucumbers, basil, mint, parsley, and croutons to bowl and toss.