“A blizzard is coming! Get the bread and milk!”
Around here, anything from a forecasted couple of inches of snow to a full-blown blizzard warning will increase the sale of milk and bread. But before I begin my blog I just want to take a moment to
ask: why? What about cheese? Or bottled water? I mean if a storm is going to be, let’s say “catastrophic” for drama’s sake, wouldn’t you want something a little more substantial, something with a longer shelf life?
Just some food for thought.
I can’t say I have bread left over from the last snow storm because, well, I kind of missed it. Yes, missed it — unintentionally of course. I was stranded in sunny California.
My original plan was to fly back home directly into the middle of the blizzard, but the governor declared everything an emergency and I was told I’d get a ticket along with points on my license and, who knows, maybe even arrested if I attempted to make my way to Long Island. If you don’t know this already, I’m a goody-two-shoes and really prefer not getting into trouble with the law, so stay in California I did.
So yes, I was at the beach while you were here playing in the snow, trying to stay warm and cooking whatever it is you make with milk and bread. And yes, I’m bragging when I promised myself I wouldn’t. But anyone in my shoes would have been soaking up as much sun as possible before returning to the snow apocalypse mother nature blessed us with last weekend. After all, the choice between waiting in an airport and catching some rays probably isn’t a difficult one for anybody. Plus, if we want to get technical here, I was still “snowed in” — just at the beach instead of buried under more than a foot of snow.
One thing we all had in common last weekend was being stranded, so after settling back into a new hotel room, I headed to the market to buy nothing other than bread and milk. Eating a whole baguette can be a bit of a challenge (that sounds more like a tiny white lie than the truth, but we all struggle sometimes), so what do I do with old, post-blizzard bread you ask? I turn it into a “salad” so I feel less guilty about eating the entire thing.
I introduce to you: Panzanella, a Tuscan salad mostly seen during the summer time that consists of stale bread and tomatoes. Truth be told, you can take any mixture of your favorite salad ingredients and toss with some leftover bread and you’ve got yourself a Panzanella salad.
Post-Blizzard Tomato-Mozzarella Panzanella Salad
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
3 cups baguette or ciabatta bread cut into 1-inch cubes, preferably stale
2 pounds tomatoes, cherry, plum, vine or any that is available, cut into small dice
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into small dice
1/2 red onion, sliced into thin 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, grated on a micro plane
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a large bowl gently toss together the bread, tomatoes, onion, cheese and basil. Drizzle the dressing over top, gently toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a large serving platter, garnish with more basil and a drizzle of oil. Enjoy immediately!
Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir and their two dogs.
Kayleigh is in her third season as Sous Chef at a private kitchen in Southampton. Not only is she second in command but her main focus is on creating, preparing and executing cold dishes such as salads, hors d’œuvres, appetizers, canapés, pâtés and terrines. Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 15 years, working her way up in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.
Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on SoutholdLOCAL.com.
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