Ladies Love Leon


Hearts and arrows to my one and only on Valentines Day.

Tonight I was supposed to make a special dinner (Leon's favorite panzanella) but we got invited to another Travelling Chef party and we just couldn't turn it down. One more delicious gourmet vegetarian meal? Count us in, holiday be damned. I went ahead and made the panzanella last night anyway since I got kind of amped up for it.

Asparagus Panzanella
via Martha Stewart
Recipe link here.

1 pound medium asparagus [Food Source has killer asparagus right now!]
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 small tomatoes, such as red, Green Zebra, or yellow, each cut into 8 wedges
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 cup capers, drained
6 one-half-inch-thick slices country-style bread, crust on, torn into 1-inch chunks [I use Il Fornaio rosemary bread]
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Snap off and discard the tough ends of asparagus. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil; prepare an ice bath. Cook asparagus until bright green and just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer immediately to ice bath. Drain; place on a clean kitchen towel.

2. In a large bowl, combine asparagus, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, capers, and bread; toss to combine.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together red-wine vinegar and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Pour vinaigrette over asparagus mixture, and toss until well coated. Let sit until bread absorbs juices, and serve.


I skip the onion, because that's me. Last night I did without the heirloom tomatoes, too because they're not in season.

Total deliciousness.