Spicy Prawns and White Bean Panzanella
Salad
Ingredients
160 gram wholegrain sourdough bread
olive oil spray
1 lemon
800 gram cooked medium king prawns (shrimp)
800 gram canned cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
250 gram cherry tomatoes, halved
2 lebanese cucumbers, chopped
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup (60g) pitted sicilian green olives, halved
1 fresh long red chilli, sliced thinly
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
120 gram soft goat's cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1/3 cup (80ml) red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Description
Before the advent of the modern supermarket bread, every cuisine around the world had a recipe for using stale bread – panzanella is Italy’s answer to this age-old problem. While starting off as a simple peasant dish born of necessity, panzanella has long been a dish favoured for its simplicity that allows the flavours of good-quality ingredients to shine through.
Directions
Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a large oven tray with baking paper.
Roughly tear bread into pieces, place on tray; spray with cooking oil. Bake 5 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Remove rind from lemon with a zester, cutting into long strips. Shell and devein prawns, leaving tails intact.
Place bread, rind, prawns, beans, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, chilli, basil and half the cheese in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.
Combine oil, vinegar and garlic in a small bowl; season to taste. Spoon dressing over salad; top with remaining cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you don’t have a zester, you can finely grate the lemon rind instead. You can use marinated fetta instead of goat’s cheese. If you like, omit the prawns and add a can of flaked drained tuna in olive oil.