chickpea panzanella
If summer could speak, it would scream this salad. Creamy chickpeas, juicy tomatoes, and toasted bread join forces to create this Greek-inspired panzanella. My secret? The mandolin. It slices the vegetables beautifully thin. I'm not into kitchen gadgets but this tool is essential for speed and precision. In fact, I own three...
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 1/2 c. cubed country bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1x 14 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 c. sliced English cucumber
- 1/4 c. Vidalia onion, quartered & thinly sliced
- 1/4 c. sliced celery
- 1/4 c. chopped celery leaves
- 2 tbsp. minced chives
- 1/4 c. basil leaves, cut into ribbons
- 1/4 c. Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1/2 c. crumbled feta
- 1 tbsp. of lemon zest, about 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 c. good quality olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- handful of celery and basil leaves
Instructions
- 1
Croutons: preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the bread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Bake in the center of the oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
- 2
Salad: add the croutons, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, celery, celery leaves, chives, basil and olives to a large bowl.
- 3
Dressing: add the lemon zest and lemon juice to a small bowl. Slowly stream in the olive oil and whisk well to emulsify. Add salt and pepper.
- 4
To assemble, drizzle a little vinaigrette over the salad. Toss well, so that all of the ingredients are well coated. Taste the salad; it should be crisp and refreshing with plenty of acidity from the lemon. If not, add more dressing and adjust seasoning.
- 5
Right before serving, top with crumbled feta (if you add it too early, it will disappear into little pieces when tossed).
- 6
Garnish with extra celery and basil leaves.