When peaches, plums, apricots, and nectarines are in season, consider this panzanella variation.  It’s lighter and brighter than traditional panzanellas.  The recipe below is more of a method than a prescription.  Feel free to increase and decrease ingredients.

What’s a panzanella?  It’s an Italian bread salad with juicy dressing that soaks the bread and all the other fruits and veg.  It is traditionally made with tomatoes.

We made this with our Airstream Chef friends for a celebration in Michigan.

Makes 4 salad-sized servings

Dressing (double it if you are concerned about having enough—I would, as it stores great!)

• ¼ C quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T monk fruit sweetener
• 1 t Italian seasoning
• 1 t garlic powder
• ½ t sea salt
• ¼ t black pepper
• ½ t red pepper flakes

(Or simply make up your favorite balsamic vinegar dressing, but make it more vinegary than you might think.)

• 3 very ripe stone fruits.  The picture shown used 2 peaches and 1 black plum.  Slice in wedges, sprinkle with
  • 1-2 t monk fruit and 2 T lemon juice, toss, and refrigerate. 
  • You want the fruit cold, not room temp when you compose the salad.
• ½ C blueberries
• 3 C chopped or loose lettuce.  The picture shown used romaine.
• Several slices of red onion for garnish
• ¼ C pickled banana peppers.  No pickled banana peppers?  Use any type of pickled pepper, such as pepperoncini—or none at all 😊.
• 4 slices of bacon, browned and chopped (save fat)
• 6 slices of sourdough bread, spread with bacon fat and grill, then cut into triangles.
• 2-3 burrata balls, pulled apart to strew on top
• Sea salt

To Compose:  This salad looks pretty composed on a tray.  But if all you have is a bowl, it will still be tasty.

• Arrange lettuce in 2 columns down your tray.
• Interleave the grilled bread among the lettuce.
• Pour the chilled stone fruit down the middle and artistically scatter it out to the sides.
• Garnish with the red onion, banana peppers, blueberries, and bacon.
• Pour over the dressing.
• Last, tear the burrata and scatter it over the top.
• Sprinkle with sea salt.

Stay briny,

–Stacey