Panzanella – Barefoot Bloggers

For my second installment of Barefoot Bloggers I made Panzanella. I’ve never even heard of this before but hubby and I both loved it. The salad was very flavorful and colorful. Perfect for any summertime meal. The bread crutons got a little soggy by the end of the meal, so if I were traveling with this, I’d definitely add them at the last minute. Thanks Melissa for choosing this recipe. We’ll definitely be making this again sometime soon.

The best part of this salad is that with comes together so quickly. Hubby chopped all the veggies while I did the bread. Then we mixed it all together and sat down to eat.

Panzanella – from Barefoot Contessa Parties! (pg 102)
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained

For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

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13 Responses to “More cheeses I can eat!!”

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    1
    Yankee1969 — April 15, 2008 at 10:05 pm

    I’m guessing you’ve tried Manchego? It’s my favorite sheep’s milk cheese.

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    Deana — April 15, 2008 at 10:46 pm

    I’m lactose intolerant too, and cheese is what I miss most. I’m curious about the goat cheese and sheep’s milk cheese; according to what I’ve read, goats’ milk and sheep’s milk have almost the same amount of lactose as cows’ milk. How is it that the cheese doesn’t have lactose? I’d be interested in any resources you could pass on because I’d love to be able to eat some cheese again!

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    3
    Yankee1969 — April 15, 2008 at 10:48 pm

    I’m lactose-tolerant, but according to a Good Eats episode on cheese, most of the lactose is removed during the cheese making process, so that’s why most lactose-intolerant people can eat it. My g/f is Asian and very lactose-intolerant, but she can eat cheese with no problem. Ice cream (which she will eat when she gets the craving) does her no good at all, but cheese is usually fine.

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    4
    Deana — April 15, 2008 at 10:58 pm

    That’s interesting. I know lactose intolerance is different for each person. Unfortunately for me, eating cheese (and ice cream) is like a death-wish, but I have read that cheese that’s made traditionally, aged 2 yrs., has nearly no lactose in it. That’s hard to find though. I haven’t heard that goat cheese and sheep cheese have less lactose. But perhaps most goat and sheep cheese are aged?

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    Yankee1969 — April 15, 2008 at 11:11 pm

    I actually have the GE episode on my TiVo (Cheese: Good Milk Gone Bad) and he says that cheeses that have a little age on them have had their lactose consumed by the bacteria so there’s little if any lactose left. I just replayed that portion for the exactish quote.
    I think goat/sheep cheese is similar to cow in that it can be fresh or aged. I think Manchego has fresh and aged varieties. If you have a good cheese source nearby, you should be able to find well-aged (2+ years) varieties of cheddar at the very least. A Canadian, English, Irish, or Austrailian. All are very good.
    I truly feel sorry for you, as I love a nice extra sharp cheddar, Parma Reggiano, etc.
    And really, it’s not my intention to torture you. 🙂

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    Deana — April 15, 2008 at 11:30 pm

    Thanks for looking that up for me! I’ll have to test the waters the next time I’m feeling brave…:) I would LOVE it if I could eat some cheese again!

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    Jen — April 16, 2008 at 9:48 pm

    The only reason I eat goat and sheep milk cheese is because when my doctor told me I was LI, she said I could eat those. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I am very sensative to all cow dairy, but haven’t ever had problems with the goat or sheep cheese…

    I haven’t tried Machego… I’ll have to look for it.

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    8
    Yankee1969 — April 16, 2008 at 9:51 pm

    I first had Manchego at a tapas place near Phoenix on a cheese and fruit plate. I had no idea what I was missing. 🙂

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    Lina — April 17, 2008 at 5:12 am

    oh my gosh! a fellow cheese junkie! haha

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    10
    ttfn300 — April 20, 2008 at 3:23 am

    So I’ve been lactose intolerant since I went away to college… but I still enjoy most of my favorites. Lactaid works wonders!!! I carry the pills around with me all the time and enjoy most of the foods I love. Regarding the different milks, goats milk does indeed have lactose, it is just less than traditional cows milk so more people can tolerate it. I’m sure different processes in which you make cheese, etc could effect it, and everyone’s sensitivity is different as well. I adjusted quickly to Lactaid milk, and they have cottage cheese, ice cream (but i stick to the good ol’ stuff), and some other products I have yet to try. I urge fellow LI folks not to give up your (and my!!) favorite foods!!!

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    madmamma2007 — May 1, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    I found this website of sheeps cheese and it appears it is good for people with LI.

    http://www.sheepscheese.com/

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    12
    Jen — May 15, 2009 at 1:05 am

    Yep! Sheep cheese is my friend for sure.

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    Catherine — January 1, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    I am severely lactose intolerant but love food and cooking, so this has been a difficult adjustment for me as well. Parmigiana Reggiano is lactose free as well as; Grana Padano, all Finlandia cheeses including Muenster and Lappi. I use Lappi as a substitute for Mozzarella as it has similar texture and flavour. Muenster has worked well as a substitute for many cheeses as it has great flavour. There are some cheeses that I cannot tolerate such as mozzarella. Goat cheese does have lactose, but also has a protein in it that is different from that in cow’s milk. This makes it much more easily digestible and is great for those with lactose intolerance. Hope this is helpful! p.s. – I make my own ice cream by making creme anglaise with lactose free 2% milk.

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