5 Dreamy Dishes As Gorgeous As They Are Delicious From The Chicest Cookbook Of The Year

HANDS ON TIME
10 minutes

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4)
200g stale crusty bread, such as baguette or ciabatta
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
150g shelled sweet garden peas
6–8 baby artichokes, or chargrilled artichokes in a jar, finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 Baby Gem lettuces
A handful of mint leaves
A handful of basil leaves
Sea salt flakes

Panzanella, in most of its incarnations, is a riot of colour, but this variation is an ode to the verdant plenty of spring: a sumptuous green salad, only amplified. I use those tender baby artichokes that are so small and sweet you can eat the choke, or else the chargrilled kind you find packed in glossy olive oil in jars. Feel free to add to the mix as you please: a few stems of slender asparagus either raw or lightly chargrilled, shavings of fennel, or just-blanched, podded broad beans. You could also slip in a few oily, salty anchovies.

Whereas most panzanella will keep – indeed improve in flavour – with time, lettuce tends to wilt if left sitting around for more than 30 minutes. If you want to prepare this in advance, leave out the leaves and soft herbs, then throw them in just before serving.

Roughly tear the bread into pieces and throw it into a large bowl. In a second bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt, whisk vigorously with a fork, then drizzle over the bread. Now add the peas, artichokes and spring onions, then toss together well to dress all the ingredients.

When you’re ready to go to the table, roughly tear the lettuce leaves, mint and basil, throw them in the bowl, then toss one last time before serving.

[Reprinted from A Table for Friends by arrangement with Bloomsbury Publishing. Copyright © 2020, Skye McAlpine]