Cooking with Rania: Panzanella Stuffing Salad
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's only the first of November, but Rania Harris is getting Thanksgiving dinner started a little early. All month, she'll be featuring recipes for the big meal.
Panzanella Stuffing Salad
Ingredients:
- 3 cups 1-inch-cubed Focaccia
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (I prefer hot sausage)
- 1 cup dry white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 bulb fennel, halved, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 head radicchio, core removed, sliced ½ inch thick
- 2 red Anjou pears, cored and thinly sliced
- White wine vinegar to taste
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 1 cup fresh basil, large leaves torn
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
On a large rimmed sheet pan, toss the focaccia with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Bake until golden, about 10 - 12 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it into 1-inch pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until almost all of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from the heat.
Add the sausage mixture, onion, fennel, radicchio, pear, vinegar and olive oil to taste to the bowl with the bread. Toss to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let sit for up to 30 minutes so the bread soaks up all the juices.
Just before serving, add the arugula and basil and toss to combine and redistribute the juices. Add more oil and vinegar, if necessary, to moisten.
Serves: 8 to 10