BLT Panzanella

This simple panzanella (Italian bread salad) mimics the flavors of a BLT nearly perfectly. Old French bread and halved grape tomatoes are seared in bacon fat to add another dimension to this salad, and the subtle addition of basil (easily substituted with other herbs of your choice) give a nice twist. This is a fabulous way to use those last tomatoes lingering on your counter (a friendly message: never store tomatoes in the refrigerator – this causes an irreversible decline in flavor and texture), the tempting heirlooms at the farmer’s market, and the final tomatoes on sale at the grocery store. Enjoy the last tomatoes of the season, before the grocery stores become populated with unnaturally round mushy pink specimens (okay, I’ll admit, I’m a tomato snob).

When I served this salad, I had the presence of mind to set aside the bacon pieces to add at the end for maximum crispiness but did not think to do so with the bread cubes as well – I would recommend adding both the bread and bacon as this salad is served and not sooner. This salad also, unfortunately, does not work well as leftovers; in addition to issues with the crispiness of the bacon and bread cubes, tomatoes (as I mentioned earlier) do not do well in the refrigerator. However, this salad is hard to resist while fresh, so you probably won’t be worried about storing leftovers!

BLT Panzanella (adapted from Alton Brown)
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 slices bacon
• 4 cups French bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes and dried overnight
• 2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 cups baby spinach*
• 2 Tbsp basil chiffonade**

*The original recipe called for romaine lettuce, but I prefer the leafier taste of spinach – feel free to substitute your favorite salad green here.
**You can substitute with other herb(s) if you want – mint and parsley would both work well.

Method:

1. Cook 8 slices bacon until crisp (you’ll probably need to do two batches or use two pans to fit this quantity of bacon without crowding – having two pans sets you up well for the next step), then set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. Heat half the resulting bacon drippings over medium heat and toast 4 cups French bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes and dried overnight (you may need to do this in batches), tossing frequently, until they’ve browned slightly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining half of the bacon drippings over medium heat and place 2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes, cut side down, in the pan. Sear the tomatoes until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste then slowly whisk in 3 Tbsp olive oil in a thin stream until emulsified.
5. In a large bowl, combine the caramelized tomatoes with 2 cups heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped, 2 cups baby spinach, and 2 Tbsp basil chiffonade. Pour the vinaigrette over, and toss well to combine.
6. When serving, add the reserved bread cubes and crumble the reserved bacon over the top.