Spring Panzanella

Now that golf season is here, Martin has been going out every Wednesday late afternoon to golf nine holes and then have dinner with a group of guys from the Club. I love to see my hubby out enjoying the course and, just as much, I love to see me inside cooking things he'd be reluctant to eat.

I should clarify, however, that even though our snows and frigid temperatures are finally long gone, weather can still be dicey. Golf season happens to fall in the middle of tornado/violent storm season and, if we're not dealing with those severe systems, there's still that Midwest heat thing going on. Long timers keep lamenting that we went straight from the icy throes of winter right on into the heat and humidity of summer, seemingly forgetting spring somewhere along the way. I buy provisions to make something for me on Wednesday nights and then have to hope the weather gods comply.

Martin's eats two salads. His green salad consists of lettuce, tomato, and lots of blue cheese dressing. Anything else is considered an unwelcome invader. When we aren't having that super pared down version of a salad, he likes a classic Caesar, as long as you don't put chicken in it. The good news is that salads for dinner are ridiculously simple to put together. The bad news is they taste like it.

While a salad like this recipe can seem remarkably complicated, compared to the simplicity of Martin's preferred versions, the results are worth it. Maybe I'm starved for something novel? Whatever the reason, I couldn't eat enough of this panzanella. I'm not always a crouton person but, mixed in with the salad fixings, these were the perfect compliment of salty and crunchy. Not too crunchy, but just enough to give the rest of the ingredients a better definition.

I paired my salad with an easy salmon recipe for a perfect spring dinner on the sun porch.

Spring Panzanella
Smittenkitchen.com

Ingredients:
For the croutons:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 cups day old bread, crust removed, cubed
6 Tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette:
Half a red onion, finely dinced
2 to 2 1/2 Tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

For the salad:
4 large leeks
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound asparagus
1 19 oz. can of white beans, rinsed and drained or 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400.

Mix the bread cubes with the garlic, olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to coat well. Transfer the bread to a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, stirring once of twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Mix the red onion with the vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside for a few minutes before whisking in the remaining vinaigrette ingredients; olive oil and dijon. Set aside.

Cut off the dark green tops of the leeks and trim the root ends. Halve each leek lengthwise to within 2 inches of the root end. Rinse well under cold running water to wash away any sand. Cover the leeks with cold water in a 12 inch heavy skillet. Add salt and simmer the leeks, uncovered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Without draining the cooking water (you will reuse it for the asparagus), transfer the leeks to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then pat the leeks dry with paper towels. Break off the tough ends of asparagus and cook in the boiling water until crisp-tender, no more than 3 minutes for pencil-thin, more if your asparagus is thicker. Transfer it to another bowl of ice water, drain and pat it dry.

Cut the leeks and the asparagus each into one inch segments. The leeks will be especially slippery and prone to separating - hold firm and use a sharp knife. Place pieces in a large bowl and mix in beans and cooled parmesan croutons. Pour vinaigrette over and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Take a minute to give thanks that you have a good husband...and that's he's out of the house so you can have a good salad!