Rustic Greek Panzanella

This is one of the sexiest salads I have ever seen. Admittedly (and shamefully) I am not a huge fan of tomatoes...or cucumber for that matter (yikes!) BUT I appreciate the magic that a salad of colours so vibrant they could rival the rainbow, can provide. It can make the fussiest of salad eaters' jump in with amazing gusto. It helps that it also includes the most delicious rustic bread soaked in oil and to-die-for feta cheese!

Let me know if this one is good enough for the upcoming TV appearance!

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa-How easy is that? By Ina Garten

Serves 4

Ingredients:
¼ cup good quality olive oil
3 cups, roughly torn rustic bread (great for using up day-old bread!)
Salt
½ Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced 1cm thick
1 yellow capsicum, seeded and large-diced
½ punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, thinly sliced in half rounds
100g Greek Feta cheese (or your favorite, but this is just gorgeous!)
Approx. 15 olives, pitted

Dressing:
½ cup good olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the bread, sprinkle with salt and toss to coat with the oil. Cook over medium heat for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Set aside.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss together.

For the vinaigrette, combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Whisking constantly, slowly add the ½ cup olive oil.

Add the bread, feta and olives into the vegetable mix and pour over the vinaigrette, toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavours to develop. Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

Note: This is to-die as a side with lamb or beef skewers with some Greek yogurt or on its own as a main.

Burghal Wheat and Grilled Veg Salad

Next week I will be filming a cooking segment for the wonderful Melanie Jade’s spanking new Variety show and I’m on a mission to find the perfect dish! The show (aired on CH 31) is based around music, dancing, fashion and all things fun and energetic. So I need a dish that is going to be able to provide that energy for other dancers, musicians and busy people on the go, whilst still remaining healthy and most importantly de-lish! Let’s experiment together. Let me know your favourites from my choices and feel encouraged to suggest something for us all to try! Today we have...

Burghal Wheat and Grilled Veg Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup burghal wheat
1 Tbls. Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, bruised with the flat blade of a knife to break the skin (OR roast in the oven for added sweetness)
1 baby fennel, remove core and slice (keep leaves and add to herbs)
5 broccolini spears, chopped into 3cm fingers
4 scallions spring onion, peeled and chopped in 3cm fingers
½ red onion, sliced
6 pitted olives, chopped
1 large handful, finely chopped herbs; parsley, mint, leaves from fennel- these are delicious with a light aniseed flavour.
Rind of 1 lemon

Dressing:
Juice of 1 small lemon
4 Tbls. olive oil
1tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the burghal wheat as per packet directions and set aside.

2. Heat a BBQ or griddle pan to medium-high. In a bowl toss the fennel, broccolini, spring onion, red onion and garlic cloves (if not previously roasted) in the olive oil and place on the griddle pan to cook. The vegetables will cook at varying times; approximately 5-10 minutes, just keep an eye on them, we are looking to produce those wonderful dark char-lines while softening and wilting the veg.

3. Once the veg are cooked remove from the pan and place in a large bowl. Add the prepared burghal wheat, olives, herbs and lemon rind.

4. Dressing: In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk with a fork. Pour over the burghal and vegie mixture; toss to coat.

Let me know what you think! Is this the winning salad?