Goat Cheese Panzanella Salad with Spiralized Cucumbers
Try this Goat Cheese Panzanella Salad with Spiralized Cucumbers recipe
Try this Goat Cheese Panzanella Salad with Spiralized Cucumbers recipe
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- for the salad:
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- for the bread:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil to drizzle
- 3 pieces of whole wheat bread (i like vermont bread company
- 1 large seedless cucumber blade d, noodles trimmed
- 3 tablespoons chopped mint
- 4 basil leaves sliced
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 3 oz crumbled goat cheese
- 2/3 up quartered pitted green olives
- Carbohydrate 4.20478815223078 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 5.03699 g
- Fiber 0.798650003433228 g
- Protein 0.77717 g
- Saturated Fat 0.7158745 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -6 (134g)
- Sodium 41.6758437283913 mg
- Sugar 3.40613814879755 g
- Trans Fat 0.1827945 g
- Calories 61 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the bread slices and cook for 3 minutes, flip over, season with salt and pepper and cook another 3-5 minutes until the bread has grill marks, is golden brown and is “toasted.†When done, slice into cubes.
- While the bread cooks, pat the cucumber noodles dry thoroughly to rid of excess moisture. Place into a large mixing bowl along with the mint, basil, tomatoes, goat cheese, garlic, olives, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Once the bread is done and cubed, add it into the bowl with the salad and toss thoroughly to combine until goat cheese coats all ingredients. Taste and adjust to your preference.
Why does dry, toasted bread absorb a sharp vinaigrette without disintegrating into mush? Bread structure relies on a gluten network that hardens under direct heat, sealing the crumb so it acts as a sponge rather than a powder when introduced to liquids. Tossing cubed whole wheat bread onto a grill pan heated to medium-high for three to five minutes per side develops a toasted exterior while preserving a dry interior core, allowing the bread to soak up red wine vinegar and olive oil while retaining distinct textural integrity.
Acid, Fat, and Cellular Moisture
Cucumbers present a distinct culinary challenge because their cellular walls are packed with water that quickly dilutes dressings. Spiralizing the seedless cucumber creates thin noodles that must be patted dry thoroughly with paper towels before mixing to remove surface moisture, preventing the acid from the red wine vinegar from turning watery. Capric and caproic acids found in goat cheese contribute a characteristic tang that bridges the gap between the sharpness of finely minced garlic and the earthy bitterness of green olives. Fat molecules from the extra virgin olive oil coat the tongue, softening the perception of acetic acid and letting the herbal notes of chopped mint and sliced basil emerge more clearly.
- Swap whole wheat bread for a dense sourdough, keeping in mind that higher initial hydration in the loaf will require an extra minute on the grill pan to achieve equivalent crispness.
- Replace green olives with brined capers at a one-to-one ratio if a sharper, more direct salinity is desired without the buttery texture of olive flesh.
- Consume this dish immediately after tossing, because extended contact time past twenty minutes will cause the cucumber noodles to purge water regardless of initial drying.
