Panzanella Recipe

Panzanella, or Tuscan bread salad, came about as a way to use old bread. With a whole host of fresh, vibrant flavours including baby fennel and goat's cheese, this exquisite panzanella recipe screams summer but will take some mastering. The red pepper powder included is not essential, while raspberry vinegar can be purchased online

Ingredients

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Marinated fennel

2 baby fennel, thinly sliced using a mandolin
1 dash of lemon juice
salt
extra virgin olive oil

Goat's cheese balls

100g of breadcrumbs
300g of goat's cheese
100g of butter
50ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch of thyme, chopped
1 pinch of rosemary, chopped

Tomato jelly

470g of large ripe tomato
17g of celery, roughly chopped
6g of shallots, roughly chopped
25g of fennel, roughly chopped
3g of garlic, crushed
1 pinch of fresh tarragon
1 pinch of fresh thyme
6g of basil
1 pinch of salt
10g of caster sugar
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Tabasco
7 gelatine leaves, up to

Pepper relish

10 basil leaves, finely chopped
vegetable oil
5 red peppers, roasted and peeled
100g of Demerara sugar
100g of soft brown sugar
200ml of raspberry vinegar
16g of mustard seeds, cooked
90g of shallots, finely diced

Panzanella garnish

1/2 loaf of focaccia, stale, cut into cubes
1 tbsp of red pepper powder
5 black olives, sliced
1 handful of basil cress
1 spring onion, finely sliced
4 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced in 3

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Mandoline

For the tomato essence, combine all the ingredients together and mix well. Put into a food processor and blend into a coarse pulp

470g of large ripe tomato
17g of celery
6g of shallots
25g of fennel
3g of garlic
1 pinch of fresh tarragon
1 pinch of fresh thyme
4 pinches of salt
10g of caster sugar
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Tabasco
6g of basil

Hang the pulp in a double muslin cloth overnight in the fridge, placing a bowl underneath to collect all the tomato water as it seeps out

Reserve 100ml for the soaking of the foccacia cubes

Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water for 10 minutes. Place a small amount of the tomato essence into a small pot. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat

7 gelatine leaves

Squeeze the cold water off the gelatine and place into the hot liquid until completely dissolved. Place into a suitable container and leave in the fridge to set

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. To make the red pepper relish, lightly coat the peppers in a little vegetable oil and place onto a baking tray. Roast in the oven for up to 45 minutes or until the skin starts to blister and slightly blacken

5 red peppers
vegetable oil

Remove the peppers from the oven and place into a bowl. Cover with cling film and allow to cool and sweat for 30 minutes

Peel the peppers and remove all the seeds, avoid using water to rinse off the seeds and this will wash away a lot of flavour. Finely dice the pepper and combine with the shallots

90g of shallots

For the goat's cheese balls, place the butter and oil in a pan. Once the butter begins to foam add the breadcrumbs and cook over a medium heat, stirring until the breadcrumbs are starting to turn golden and crispy

100g of butter
50ml of extra virgin olive oil
100g of breadcrumbs

Place both sugars, raspberry vinegar and mustard seeds together in a pan and reduce to a sticky syrup. Pour over the peppers and allow to macerate overnight. Just before serving, add the fresh basil

100g of Demerara sugar
100g of soft brown sugar
200ml of raspberry vinegar
16g of mustard seeds
10 basil leaves

Add the chopped herbs and season, pour into a sieve to drain of any excess oil. Transfer to absorbent towel and leave in a warm place. Change the absorbent towel a couple of times to remove as much of the oil as possible and set aside to cool

1 pinch of thyme
1 pinch of rosemary

Roll the goat's cheese into 15g balls and when ready to serve, roll in the breadcrumbs to coat in a crunchy layer

300g of goat's cheese

Marinate the fennel with lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste and leave for 30 minutes to impart flavour

2 baby fennel
1 dash of lemon juice
salt
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 loaf of focaccia

Soak the stale foccacia cubes in the reserved tomato essence

To serve, arrange all the salad ingredients onto the plate and ensure that each element can be seen. Finish with the tomato jelly and serve

First published in 2015

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Phil Fanning

Phil Fanning remains one of the brightest, most interesting chefs of the British food scene, creating beautiful, intricate plates of food at the magnificent Paris House in Woburn Abbey.

Panzanella with goat's cheese and tomato jelly

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