Heirloom Panzanella Salad

What do you make with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes…

And day old french baguette...

Righteous heirloom panzanella, of course!

Incredibly easy and delectable, this salad speaks for itself. Heirloom panzanella would be a perfect accompaniment to a roast chicken and don't forget the chilled glass of white wine. You can also roll like me and eat it directly from the giant bowl it was mixed in. It is just as divine if not slightly more messy.

Heirloom Panzanella Salad

Ingredients

• 2 large ripe heirloom tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 large shallot
• 4 cloves of garlic, grated
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1 tsp. kosher salt (or sea salt)
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Panzanella croutons, recipe follows
• 4 cups mache lettuce

Directions

1. Clean, dice and seed the tomatoes. Drain them in a strainer to remove excess liquid while you put the rest of the ingredients together.

Make the croutons:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Dice the day old baguette in to ½ inch cubes.
3.  Lay the croutons in an even layer on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. 
4. Bake, stirring once, until the croutons are crisp and lightly browned, about 8 or 9 minutes. Let cool.

Make the dressing:

1. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, parmesan, tarragon, lemon juice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Once combined gently toss the dressing with the tomatoes and shallot. 
2. When you are ready to serve, toss in the breadcrumbs (don’t leave the crunchy parmesan bits behind on the baking sheet!), herbs and mache lettuce. Top with shaved parmesan. Devour immediately.

Makes about 8 cups of good grub