Roasted red pepper panzanella

Delicious roasted red pepper panzanella with fresh mozzarella is an easy summer side dish and pairs perfectly with steak or grilled chops. 

I’m finally there. Vacation. As of about 2 hours ago, I am away from work for two weeks. Now it’s off to my happy place: Martha’s Vineyard. Fresh seafood, Island grown veggies, and plenty of Bad Martha’s local beer for this girl.

Last summer, we waited until the end August to go on vacation. It nearly killed me. So this year, we are back to our usual July break and I couldn’t be happier. Summer is in full swing with lobster making many, many appearances on my menu and lots of grilled food. This simple panzanella is ridiculously easy and quite possibly the most amazing side ever with steak or chops. If you use store-bought roasted red peppers, it’ll take minutes to make (but homemade are oh-so-much better, especially with fresh red peppers…) It’s a riff on a recipe from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden. His includes meat and I also made a few other tweaks. Don’t wait. your next steak deserves this! 🙂

Roasted red pepper panzanella

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Delicious roasted red pepper panzanella with fresh mozzarella is an easy summer side dish and pairs perfectly with steak or grilled chops.

Author: Erin Berdan

Recipe type: Side dish

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 large, thick slices of country bread
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 large red peppers
• 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, passed through a garlic press
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 2 sprigs fresh mint
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella

Instructions

1. To make the croutons, preheat oven to 400F. Tear the bread into large pieces and toss with the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 10 to 20 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool and to absorb extra oil. Set aside.
2. To roast the peppers, slide each pepper onto a metal skewer and roast over a gas flame or on a grill until black all over, turning as needed. Slide it into a brown paper lunch bag and set aside to cool.
3. Once cool, peel and seed the peppers and slice into strips. Set aside.
4. Toss the peppers with the shallots, garlic, vinegar, a splash of olive oil, and slat and pepper to taste.
5. When ready to serve, add the fresh herbs and tear the mozzarella over the top. toss to coat, adding more olive oil as needed. Toss in the croutons and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors combine.

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