Hatch Chile Summer Panzanella

Hatch chile season is here and if you're a Texas foodie, you may be stocking up on all the hatch chile items you can get your hands on at Central Market's Hatch Fest! Every year without fail I stock up on the roasted mild hatch chilies as well as countless other fun hatch products they have in stock for the festival. I usually have my go-to recipes like hatch chile fajitas, but this year I was inspired to spice up one of my favorite go-to salads: the panzanella. Panzanella is a delicious Tuscan style bread salad that can be super versatile, is super easy to make and always delicious! This Hatch Chile Summer Panzanella is a great balance between spicy hatch peppers and refreshing cucumber and tomatoes tossed with savory croutons in a dijon vinaigrette. I hope you enjoy it!

For the salad-serves 4 sides:

• 3-4 thick slices of 1 day old sourdough or country loaf cut into 1 inch cubes (I use Central Market's Hatch chile loaf)

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 2 hatch chiles, small diced with seeds

• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

• 1 english cucumber, seeded and cut in 1/2 inch crescents

• Pinch of flaky sea salt for garnish (I use Maldon)

For the vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup EVOO

• 1 tsp Dijon

• 1 tsp honey

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice bread into 1 inch cubes. Place the cubes on a baking sheet. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat the croutons. Bake for 7-8 minutes until golden brown, but still slightly soft in the middle.

2. In the meantime, dice your hatch chiles, tomatoes and cucumber and add to a medium sized bowl.

3. While the baked croutons cool, make the vinaigrette. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients and whisk vigorously.

4. Add the croutons to the vegetables and toss lightly. Add about 2/3 of the vinaigrette and toss until well combined. Taste and adjust with additional vinaigrette if preferred. Let the salad sit for 10-30 minutes before serving. This allows the croutons to soak up all that great vinaigrette flavor!

5. Add a pinch of flaky sea salt before serving and enjoy!