vs.
Today’s showdown is panzanella, or Italian bread and tomato salad. It’s between Emeril Lagasse’s Panzanella and Dave Lieberman’s Panzanella with Feta and Basil. Emeril’s salad is the traditional bread salad with red wine vinegar, bread, tomatoes,red onion, garlic, olive oil and basil. Dave did a little twist, he used balsamic vinegar, feta, toasted bread, shallot, capers, olive oil and basil. Each dish was delicious. The recipes called for different types of tomatoes, but I used the same kind for fairness. We now have very good hot house grown local vine-ripe tomatoes throughout the year.(They just got them in the last couple of weeks at our stores.) I used vine-ripes for both because these tomatoes are the best around. You wouldn’t believe it was a winter tomato if I told you.
Let’s talk about the dishes. Emeril’s dish was slightly more pungent with the garlic and red wine vinegar. The raw garlic gave the dish a sharpness. Dave’s dish was much more rounded in flavor. The sweetness of the balsamic vinegar was nice with the fresh sweet tomatoes. I loved the use of shallots, it took away a lot of the strong raw onion flavor. Feta is always an excellent match with tomatoes and basil. Toasting the bread was what really sealed my vote. I loved the toasted bread croutons in this salad. The texture was much more interesting than the bread that was not toasted in Emeril’s salad. All and all I think either salad would make a nice addition to an Italian dinner. If you hate feta then Emeril’s salad would work nicely for you. I preferred Dave’s salad, I think all the flavors compliment one another quite nicely.
Winner of Panzanella - Dave Lieberman!
(I want to say here, I’ve been getting some flack for playing favorites in this contest. I want you to know this is not the case. I rely solely on the recipes not the personalities in judging these showdowns, I will concede the point that in any competition of this type there is a level of subjectivity. I have, however, had my favorite cook in two battles and she lost both times. It all comes down to the recipe for me. I hope you find these showdowns interesting and informative. As always, send me any ideas you have for future contests.)