New Recipes Grilled Greek Panzanella Salad

This Greek-inspired take on panzanella, the Italian bread salad, celebrates two of summer's best, most abundant vegetables: cucumbers and tomatoes. Grilling the pitas, tomatoes and red onions lends a smokiness that goes perfectly with the zesty dressing.
Directions for: Grilled Greek Panzanella Salad

Ingredients

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tsp dried oregano

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 English cucumbers

1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, strained and rinsed

4 pita bread rounds

1 pint grape tomatoes (about 20)

1 large red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

4 oz feta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Prepare a grill or large grill pan for high heat. Whisk the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, honey, oregano and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.

2. Peel the cucumbers , leaving alternating strips of green peel. Trim the ends, halve the cucumbers lengthwise and slice them crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Add them to the bowl with the dressing. Add the chickpeas.

3. Brush the pitas on both sides with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Thread 6 or 7 tomatoes on each skewer. (If using wooden skewers, leave just 1/2 inch sticking out on each end so you do not have to soak them.) Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons oil on the tomatoes and the onions, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

4. Place the pitas, skewered tomatoes and onions on the grill. Grill the pitas, flipping and rotating frequently, until charred in spots on both sides and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Grill the onions, turning as needed, until charred and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Grill the tomatoes, turning occasionally, until lightly charred in spots and starting to burst, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the pitas and vegetables to a large cutting board when done cooking.

5. When cool enough to handle, cut the pitas into 1-inch pieces and roughly chop the onions into bite-size pieces. Add them to the bowl with the cucumbers, chickpeas and dressing. Add the tomatoes, feta, kalamata olives and dill. Gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper if needed. (Be careful with seasoning at this point, because the feta and olives are very salty.) Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving, drizzled with olive oil.