AP – In Italy, half-year produce and stale bread are combined to make panzanella, and no two ingredients capture the flavours of the season quite like tomatoes and corn.
This vibrant, panzanella-inspired salad includes both, along with toasted hunks of crusty white bread, fresh mozzarella, peppery arugula and sliced onion.
In this recipe from our cookbook Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year, we briefly marinate tomato wedges and onion slices in a punchy vinaigrette before tossing with sweet corn, leafy greens, fresh basil, cheese and bread.
Stale bread is traditional in panzanella; since most of us don’t have that on hand, we toast cubed pieces of a crusty, rustic loaf until golden brown to give it a crisp-chewy texture that won’t turn soggy when soaked with the salad’s dressing and juices.
Be sure to use fresh, water-packed mozzarella for this salad, not the pre-shredded cheese that comes in a bag. You can find it sold in orbs of different sizes; smallish bocconcini and even smaller ciliegine are great for this salad because they’re easily torn into bite-size pieces.
Crisp, juicy kernels cut from ears of peak-season corn are, of course, ideal, but frozen corn that has been thawed and patted dry is fine in a pinch. Finish the salad with hand-torn basil or, for a refreshing summery twist, fresh mint.
TOMATO, ARUGULA AND BREAD SALAD WITH FRESH CORN AND MOZZARELLA
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: Four to six
Ingredients
– Six ounces crusty white bread, sliced half-inch thick and torn into bite-size pieces (about six cups)
– Six tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
– Kosher salt and ground black pepper
– Two tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
– One pound ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into half-inch-thick wedges
– One small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
– 1.5 cups corn kernels (from two ears corn)
– Two cups lightly packed baby arugula OR watercress OR mixed greens
– Four ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (see headnote), torn into bite-size pieces
– Half cup lightly packed fresh basil OR mint, torn
Directions
Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) with a rack in the middle position. In a large bowl, toss the bread with three tablespoons of oil, half teaspoon salt and one teaspoon pepper. Distribute in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; reserve the bowl.
Bake for five minutes. Meanwhile, in the same bowl, whisk together the remaining three tablespoons oil, the vinegar and half teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and onion, then toss; set aside.
After the bread has toasted for five minutes, add the corn to the baking sheet and stir to combine. Bake until the croutons are golden brown, five to seven minutes, stirring once about halfway through. Cool to room temperature.
To the tomato-onion mixture, add the bread-corn mixture, the arugula, mozzarella and basil, then toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl. – Christopher Kimball
