Grill/Barbecue

Early Summer Panzanella

April 29, 2019
5
4 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 30 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

I love Ina's recipe for panzanella, it was a revelation when I discovered it in my early 20s. I've probably only faithfully followed the recipe that first time and have made endless variations over the years. This one, with garlic scape pesto as the marinade for the bread and peppers, and also as dressing is my favorite version. —Sarah Hornung

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Ingredients
  • Garlic Scape Pesto
  • 15 Garlic scapes
  • 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Lemon, zest and juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Panzanella
  • 5-8 Slices of slightly stale bread
  • 2 Bell peppers
  • 3 Medium sized carrots
  • 1 Seedless cucumber
  • 2 Heirloom tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons Olive oil
Directions
  1. Make the pesto: Blitz the scapes, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, zest and juice of 1 lemon, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a blender or food processor.
  2. Half and de-seed the bell pepper and brush with pesto, set aside.
  3. Brush the bread with pesto, set aside.
  4. Chop all of the raw vegetables: Slice the carrots and cucumber into thin crescents; roughly chop the heirloom tomatoes.
  5. Grill the peppers and bread. The peppers will need 8-10 minutes per side; the bread will need 3-5 minutes per side.
  6. As soon as the pepper and bread are cool enough to handle, chop roughly.
  7. Toss raw vegetables with the roughly chopped grilled peppers and bread and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of scape pesto and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

11 Reviews

FrugalCat September 11, 2023
I grilled the carrots too. Also grilled a couple of celery stalks and a thick slice of onion.
cindy July 13, 2019
Cannot find scapes anywhere. What would you suggest for a substitute?
inpatskitchen July 9, 2019
Congratulations Sarah!!! Can't wait to make this as soon as I get hold of some scapes!
Sarah H. July 10, 2019
Thanks so much!! I'm looking forward to making yours as well. Melons should be in season soon here!
drbabs July 1, 2019
Congratulations on being a finalist! Sounds great!
Sarah H. July 1, 2019
Thanks so much! Yours looks great as well; I’m going to try to make them all the summer!
Pallavi M. June 27, 2019
Delicious, I love the pesto! Thanks for sharing!
Nan July 1, 2019
Question did you use the entire scape for the pesto
Sarah H. July 1, 2019
Yes, but trim the ends—the tip can be a bit wilty and the end can be a bit woody.
Nan July 10, 2019
congrats on your win !!! How long can you keep the pesto in refrig
Sarah H. July 10, 2019
I've kept it in the fridge for a week and had no problem at all. I imagine it would also freeze well and thaw quickly.