Pantry Panzanella

What do you do when you crave a summer salad, but are short on fresh ingredients? When you open your fridge and all you find are some pickled capers? Summer is nearing its end, but we don’t really want to think about that, so here is a simple recipe to recreate a taste of summer with ingredients that you can almost always find on your kitchen shelves. 

We came up with the Pantry Panzanella idea after scouring the local bazaar and leaving with not much more than fat carrots, potatoes and onions. In some parts of Central Asia, the only carrots commonly available are the ones for making çorba (soup) which means they are often too bitter or tasteless to eat raw. Lettuce and rucola is only something to dream about, while massive heads of cabbage are abundant in most places. So coleslaws are another option, but we are not the biggest fans. There are aubergines and zucchinis to be stewed, baked and fried, but when it comes to the raw department, you are pretty much left with tomatoes and onions. 

Luckily Bishkek has supermarkets to supplement the lack of variety in fresh produce, which I thought mirrored the desperate situation I sometimes find myself in at home after returning from work at 9pm and thinking what can be made quickly, that is healthy and tasty when my fridge is uninspiring. 

The Pantry Panzanella is quick to make and is a great way to turn some leftover bread into magic. You can cook your own cannellini beans from dry or fresh, though the cheater’s way is to buy it canned and just rinse it before. It also does not need much more than a bowl, a knife and a pan, saving you from any major washing up – it is the lazy salad. 

It is a dish that needs to be eaten once it is made because you want the croutons to soak up the juices, but not completely lose its crunch. If you do want to make it ahead, for a pot luck or picnic, I suggest mixing everything else and then adding the croutons and the marinade at the end when you are ready. 

Hope it saves you from a tight spot as much as it did us, but to be honest, it is so delicious that I would make it again, even when there are other options. 

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PANTRY PANZANELLA  \ˌpæntri panzanella\

Serves 2 as a light lunch or 1 very hungry person for lunch

For the Panzanella 

1 cup cooked cannellini beans
1 cup of cherry tomatoes (elongated grape tomatoes work best)
1/2 cup of black pitted olives
2 slices of old bread (any loaf will do as long as it is not too dense, ciabatta, focaccia or baguette would work well too)
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil 

For the onion marinade

1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 1/2 tbsp baby capers
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tsp white balsamic vinegar
salt & black pepper to taste 

Start by preparing the onion marinade, this will give time for the onion to bathe in the dressing and cut its sting a little. Mix the finely chopped onion with the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and capers. Add in a sprinkle of salt, stir and set aside. You can add the spring onions just before mixing into the panzanella so that  the green tips do not wilt.

For the panzanella, slice the cherry tomatoes lengthwise in half or more if they are big and then slice the black olives into rings. Add them to a big bowl with the cannellini beans. Now you are ready to make the croutons.

Slice or rip the bread into small cubes so that they are not much bigger than the tomatoes. Heat a pan and add the butter and olive oil. Once the mixture has melted, throw in the croutons and toss around until they are well-coated. Turn the heat down and keep tossing the croutons occasionally until they turn golden brown and crisp.

When you are ready to eat, simply add the croutons to the big bowl with the tomatoes, beans and olives, stir the spring onions into the marinade and pour over the panzanella. Add some more salt and pepper to taste and devour quickly before the croutons lose their crunch.