WATERMELON TOMATO PANZANELLA

This is an incredibly moreish, juicy, crunchy summer salad using the best in season with vibrant herbs that works beautifully well with a bold and peppery EVOO like Citizien of Soil’s Sicilian Rare. 

Ideally, you will have the best tomatoes for this, a juicy, firm watermelon, and if you can get the smaller cucumbers that have denser, more concentrated flavour, those are the ones you want. I like to cut the fruits and vegetables into inchish pieces at different angles. Gorgeous as part of a summer spread, or a perfect starter. You can also mix through some beans if you want to enjoy it as a standalone meal. 

Serves: 4 as a side 

INGREDIENTS

30g sherry vinegar

80g olive oil

1 clove garlic, grated

generous pinch of salt

300g watermelon, cut into inch wedges 

400g heritage tomato, cut into big pieces 

100g cucumber, cut into inch pieces 

1 thick slice sourdough, torn - about 80g  

 20g basil, picked

10g shiso, picked and torn

Method

To make the croutons, toss the torn sourdough in a bowl with a little olive oil and either toast in a hot, dry pan until golden and crisp, or bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sherry vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Add the croutons, then the tomato, cucumber and watermelon to the bowl.

Mix through the picked herbs and serve.