Spring will fill your ears and palette with this pairing- Panzanella is a zesty collection of flavors and textures, and Pulcinella a light-hearted collection of small pieces- a real musical salad. We went about creating this pairing slightly different than usual and reached out to our friend and colleague Daniel Patrick Stewart who is the conductor of the Santa Cruz Symphony. More on his thoughts in regards to the music and the pairing can be found in our video interview.
-1 garlic clove, crushed
-The zest and juice of 2 large lemons
-½ tsp dijon mustard
-1 tsp honey
-8 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
-Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
-1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1½” pieces
-4 scallions, thinly sliced
-6 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed, thinly sliced on a diagonal (about 2 cups)
-1 fennel bulb, halved and very thinly sliced
-3 1”-thick slices round country-style bread
-1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, sliced on a diagonal into 2” pieces
-1 cup mixed tender herb leaves with tender stems (Cilantro, Mint, parsely)
-4 oz. feta or any medium soft cheese (goat’s cheese etc…)
Begin by making the Lemon Vinaigrette. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, dijon mustard, crushed garlic clove and honey to a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes for the garlic flavor to infuse while you prep your other ingredients. Remove and discard garlic clove. Slowly stream in 6 Tbsp of the olive oil while whisking constantly until you achieve a slightly thickened vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper.
Add your cucumber, scallions, sugar snap peas, and fennel to a large bowl and pour dressing over top to coat. Let sit while you prepare the bread and asparagus.
Add two Tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the bread slices and cook undisturbed until golden brown and crisped, about 5 minutes. Flip the bread to briefly fry the other side, about 2 minutes, and season with salt. Transfer fried bread to a plate.
In the same skillet, add the sliced asparagus, season with salt and turn the heat up to medium high to cook for about 3 minutes or unitl slightly blistered but still crisp.
Tear the bread into bite sized chunks and add to the large bowl of dressed vegetables along with the asparagus and mixed herbs. Give everything a good toss to distribute the dressing and soak the bread. Scatter bits of feta over top to garnish, and serve.
Try taking it in slowly–as the brisk, excited Scherzino starts, inhale the lemony scent and appreciate the popping colors–the infinite green punctuated by the brown bread and clouds of white cheese. Perhaps you’ll take small bites at first, getting to know the characters of the salad as individuals before meshing them, just like you’re getting to know the tender flute, the excited strings, and the powerful brass instruments. Maybe try contrasting the crispiness of the bread with the yielding, soft asparagus, or the sharp scallions with the sweet fennel.
As you move from the formal Scherzino towards the unreserved Tarantella and playful Toccata, match the bravado of these movements with whole forkfuls of different flavors- let each element and their combinations dance along to Stravinsky’s rhythmic playfulness, and notice the extra kick of the lemon vinaigrette.
