I can hardly believe I am writing a food post about a salad.  I like salads, but I’ve never been a real lover of them, I can take ’em or leave ’em, if you know what I mean.  I was, however, so impressed with this salad that I had to post the recipe.  It is outstanding.

Panzanella is a bread salad and I make a delicious one in the spring/summer.  When I came across this ‘winter’ version, I was intrigued to give it a try.  The contrasting flavors really round out this salad, which truthfully can be a meal all on it’s own.  It’s sweet, savory, creamy and crunchy all at the same time and after making my own croutons I will never again buy them in a store.

The individual parts of this salad can be made ahead and stored separately, lasting well in the fridge for a few days.  If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know how much I love that!  This salad is slightly time consuming to make so getting several ‘uses’ out of it is a terrific payoff.  I keep the croutons in a separate zip lock bag in the fridge and they last a long time.  The beets and shallots are put in a different zip lock back, the dressing in a container…well, you get the idea.   Just assemble as needed.

Some advice regarding this salad that I must pass on.  The first is do not wear something white or of extreme value when making this salad.  The beets stain like nobody’s business.  The second is do not assemble this too far ahead of time, the croutons will get soggy and that is just not good.  The bread must be crunchy.  I would say you can let the salad sit for about 10-15 minutes before any soggy problems start.

I’ve adapted this recipe from Tyler Florence, making just a few small changes.  My version is below…

Recipe

2 bunches baby beets (or large beets cut into chunks)

4 shallots, peeled

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 sprigs thyme and oregano

4 slices pancetta, sliced into small pieces

1 log goat cheese, refrigerated

1 loaf whole wheat bread, cut into crouton-sized pieces

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 orange, juiced

1 handful dates, chopped

1 large handful arugula

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash beets well, cut into chunks, then place on a long sheet of aluminum foil. Split shallots lengthwise and add to foil. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, thyme, and oregano leaves and season with salt and pepper. Fold foil into a packet and roast in oven until fork tender and nicely caramelized, about 40 – 50 minutes.

In saute pan, cook pancetta until crisp.

Toss the bread cubes with 1⁄4 cup oil until the bread is damp with the oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake until the bread begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

While the bread is baking, make the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, add the honey, lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, 4 tablespoons oil, salt, pepper, and stir together. Add all the remaining ingredients except arugula and gently stir. Taste for seasoning. Remove beets and bread from oven and add to bowl. Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Add pancetta and arugula.  Divide onto individual plates and enjoy!