Panzanella Salad with Lemon-Kewpie Dressing

Refreshing bites of crisp summer vegetables and chunks of toasted, tangy, vinaigrette-soaked bread make this dish gruelingly difficult to resist. Effortlessly quick to assemble, easily customizable, and packed with fresh vegetables, let this salad be your new go-to side dish or hot summer day luncheon.

The name “Panzanella” (pronounced pan-zuh-neh-luh) is a combination of the two Italian words “pane” and “zanella” directly translating to “bread” and “soup bowl”, in which it’s usually served in.

Created out of necessity by peasants and farmers as to not waste food, the salad can be traced back to around 15th century Tuscany, Italy. Old, stale bread would be soaked in water to rehydrate, squeezed, and then tossed with fresh garden harvested vegetables. Often times the salad would be prepared ahead of time so that it could be consumed later in the day for lunch or dinner; a perfect meal to cool down after a long, hot workday.

While only soaked bread, onions, and vinaigrette were traditionally what made the original version of Panzanella, the modern-day salad almost always has juicy, ripe tomatoes and cucumbers included as well.

This recipe resembles the modern-day version but with a few twists; you’ll need more than a few onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Bell peppers add a bright crunch lacking in the classic version, but the real star of this salad is the fresh, umami-packed lemon-kewpie dressing.

Known for its iconic soft-squeeze bottle and adorable baby doll logo, Kewpie is a Japanese mayonnaise with a loyal cult following. It’s made with egg yolks, rice vinegar, and a healthy dose of MSG.

What do these ingredients do? The high-fat content from the egg yolks is responsible for Kewpie’s smooth, silky, almost custard-like texture. In comparison to distilled vinegar ordinarily used in American mayonnaise, rice vinegar offers a more mellow, sweet tang. And most importantly, the MSG provides a unique mouth-watering umami element that aids in boosting the overall flavor of the condiment as well as whatever you pair it with.

In Japan, it is incredibly common to pair steamed or raw vegetables with a squirt of Kewpie mayo with a squeeze of lemon juice on the side to dip in. So, in a salad dressing…..it does wonders.

For this recipe, we opted for long, skinny matchstick-like cuts rather than cutting all of the vegetables in cubes/chunks to allow for each bite to include every ingredient. Characterized by its squared-off tip and wide flat blade, our Nakiri is made specifically for cutting vegetables and would be absolutely perfect for this job. In addition, our Bench Knife is great for lifting, scooping, and transferring ingredients after processing!

While the recipe is excellent as written, don’t forget, this dish is perfect for days where you need to clean out the fridge or pantry.

Beets, spinach, fennel, corn, fresh mozzarella, canned tuna, or grilled chicken would all make a great addition

….the possibilities are endless

Soaking the bread in water and squeezing it dry creates a squishy, soggy texture that can be unpleasant to some. To combat this, we decided to toss our cubed-up bread with some nice olive oil and salt into the oven to crisp up—essentially turning them into croutons. Any bread can work! We chose to use a hearty baguette. To cube it up, we used our serrated bread knife. The teeth/scalloped edge grips onto foods with both a soft and hard exterior without squishing or tearing.

Once the golden-brown morsels are thrown into the salad, the croutons soak up the juices from the vegetables as well as the dressing. Much more flavorful than water! Because they’re toasted, the croutons also keep their crunchy texture as well; adding another textural element to the dish.

To serve, check out our multi-use titanium plating spoon set! With a beautiful, bright polished finish and wide head, it’ll make serving up this salad a breeze.

Panzanella Salad with Lemon-Kewpie Dressing

Show off your summer harvest or your gorgeous farmers' market finds with this easy, quick, and tasty salad recipe! Effortlessly quick to assemble, easily customizable, and packed with fresh vegetables, let this salad be your new go-to side dish or hot summer day luncheon!

Recipe by Maya Alderman

Forge To Table

Prep Time: 30min

Assembly: 5min

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

Salad:

· 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

· 3 medium-sized bell peppers, sliced in strips (see chef’s notes for colors)

· 1 each English cucumber, sliced in strips

· ½ medium red onion, sliced in strips

· 10 each fresh basil leaves, sliced in ribbons

· ½ standard baguette, cubed ¾ inch (~4 cups)

· 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

· Kosher salt, to taste

Dressing: (see chef’s notes)

· 4 each garlic cloves, finely minced

· 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

· 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

· 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

· ½ tablespoon lemon zest

· ½ teaspoon honey

· 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

· 1 tablespoon Kewpie mayonnaise (homemade mayonnaise as substitute)

· Kosher salt, to taste

· Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. VEGETABLES. Rinse the vegetables off in cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. Prepare each ingredient in the fashion listed in the “salad” list above.

2. CROUTONS. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Cut baguette into ¾” inch cubes, toss with extra virgin olive oil, and a few pinches of salt until evenly coated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out cubes onto a baking sheet, making sure it’s spread out in a single layer—nothing on top of each other. Bake for 15-20min until everything is golden brown, tossing halfway into baking to ensure even toasting. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

3. SALAD DRESSING. While the croutons are in the oven, in medium-sized mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients listed in the “dressing” list and whisk until thoroughly combined.

4. ASSEMBLE SALAD. In a large bowl, add the cut vegetables and salad dressing. Mix well and add the croutons. Mix again and you’re ready to dig in!

Chef’s Notes:

• Everything in this recipe is customizable!

• We used two yellow bell peppers and one red bell pepper because we liked the sweetness but feel free to mix things up and experiment with other colors and color combinations!

• If you love the creaminess of the Kewpie, add more! If prefer a lighter dressing, hold back on the Kewpie and add more lemon juice/vinegar. Dress the salad as much or as little as you want!

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