Roasted Pepper Panzanella -

Roasted Pepper Panzanella

A fabulously simple, delicious salad for the end of summer.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼-1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon other savory herb (or more oregano)
½ cup lightly packed mint leaves
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3-4 grinds fresh black pepper
½ small red onion minced
2 cloves garlic grated or finely minced
2-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 ounces spicy salami (like soppressata) thinly sliced then roughly chopped
4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella, preferrably buffalo-style torn or sliced into pieces

Turn your oven to a low broil or pre-heat your grill to a moderate heat. Broil or grill the whole peppers, turning every 3-5 minutes, until blackened and charred on all sides. Set peppers aside in a large bowl, covered with a kitchen towel, for at least 15 minutes to let them fully soften and begin cooling.

Heat the oven to 400 F. Tear the bread (including the crust), into bite-sized pieces. Toss with the olive oil, 5-6 grinds of fresh black pepper, and two pinches of Kosher salt.
Spread the prepared bread pieces into a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown around the edges, stirring every 4-5 minutes and rotating pieces from middle to pan edge for even cooking. This should take 10-20 minutes, depending on your bread choice. Your goal is a crouton with a little bit of chewiness remaining, not rock hard pieces. Spread the toasted croutons out onto paper towels to absorb any extra oil.

Once the roasted peppers are cool enough to handle peel the blackened skin, remove the green caps and seeds, and cut them into 1-inch wide strips, then further into bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sliced roasted peppers, red wine vinegar, chile flakes, oregano, other savory herb (or more oregano), ½ the mint, salt, and black pepper. Mince the red onion and garlic, then add them to the bowl.
Add the 2-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (depending on your personal preference; I used 2 tablespoons) and toss everything together.
Slice and then roughly chop the salami. Add the chopped salami and the prepared croutons to the large bowl and toss everything together to combine. Let rest for 15-30 minutes, enabling the salad to come together into a cohesive dish as the pepper juices to soak through the other ingredients.
Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Scatter the mozzarella pieces on top, then the remaining mint. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
If you don't heavily dress this salad with olive oil and if you use a hearty bread, any leftovers of this salad will keep for one to two days in the fridge.