SOMA Living August 2022

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

GARDEN VEGETABLE AND PANCETTA PANZANELLA Prep Time: 20 min • Cook Time: 10 min • Yields: 6 servings

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Toss the tomatoes with a teaspoon of salt in a bowl and set aside. 2. Cook the pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain, reserving the drippings in the pan. 3. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pancetta drippings and heat over med/high heat. Add the cubed ciabatta to the pan and season with salt and pepper. 4. Toss the bread in the pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 5 mins. 5. Drain the tomatoes and reserve the tomato water for the dressing. 6. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl except for the oil. Slowly whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream until emulsified. 7. Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. You can serve immediately or (my preference) allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 mins before serving to allow the flavors to marry.

Panzanella is a crispy, crunchy, salad of toasted (or stale) bread tossed with fresh vegetables and a simple piquant vinegar-based dressing. Magnifico!

INGREDIENTS

10 oz ripe tomatoes, chopped 4 oz pancetta, cubed 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 10 oz ciabatta bread, torn or cut into 1 inch cubes (1 loaf) 1 English cucumber, seeded and sliced into half moons 8 oz mozzarella perlini, or whole mozzarella, diced 1 cup fresh basil, chopped or torn

RECIPE NOTES •Tossing the tomatoes in salt and reserving the juice amps up the tomato flavor while taking out excess water. Don’t skip this step! •Watch the temperature as you cook the pancetta. You’re looking for a golden brown crispness, but not burnt.

1 cup fresh chives, minced tomato vinaigrette dressing

Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing 2 tbsp reserved tomato water 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard Kosher salt and pepper 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

www.WHATSHOULDIMAKEFOR.com

Cathy Roma’s food philosophy is simple: everything in moderation. She’s worked in restaurants, owned an online bakery, has a bordering-on-problematic cookbook obsession and is the writer, photographer and recipe developer for the blog whatshouldimakefor.com. She lives in South Orange with her well-fed family, overstocked pantry, and mildly excessive collection of cookie cutters.

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