Green Bean & Pea Panzanella

By á-4174

From Chef Johnny Monis. His Restaurants: Komi and Little Serow, both in Washington, D.C.

Ingredients

• 4 1-inch-thick slices of day-old rustic bread
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
• Salt, to taste
• 1 cup shelled fava beans
• 1 cup English peas
• 1 cup French or wax beans, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup sugar snap peas, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup Sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, washed, dried and roughly torn
• 1/2 cup fresh dill, washed, dried and roughly chopped

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Tear bread into rough 1-inch pieces. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 14 minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure even coloring. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil and garlic in a medium saute pan set over medium-high heat. Cook until garlic is light colored, about 3 minutes. Pour garlic oil over bread and toss well to coat. Season with salt and set aside.

3. Lightly blanch all greens in batches until crisp-tender. With a slotted spoon, immediately transfer them to an ice-water bath and dry well.

4. Whisk together mustard, vinegar and remaining 1/2 cup oil. Season with salt. In a large bowl, toss croutons with onion slices, greens and herbs. Lightly dress with half the vinaigrette and season with salt. Let sit 5 minutes and then taste. Add more dressing or seasoning if necessary, and reserve the rest for another use.