Tuscan Bread Salad (Panzanella)

This dish was a total leftovers result of our fabulous Fondue Feast from the First of August. The First of August is our National Day in Switzerland. Normal people stick to barbequing and salads. Being in the middle of summer and everything... But we have really enjoyed having either Raclette or Fondue (traditional heavy cheesy winter dishes) outside. This is marvelous as it is a very communal eating experience and you have the added bonus of not smelling the lingering odor for the next three days. Since we had Very Important Guests it was extra nice to share this very Swiss dish...

But as a result we were left with a large amount of already cubed bread that was going stale. I remembered seeing Jamie Oliver do something like this on one of his shows (Couldn't find out which one) and I had actually tasted one at my school cafeteria a few years back. Therefore I improvised.

The beautiful thing about this dish is that it can be adapted to whatever you have in your cupboard or whatever is in season... be  creative with it! It will be extra delicious in summer when the tomatoes are really at the height of their season.

My version went roughly like this:
Stale bread, cubed or torn to pieces
Fresh rosemary or other herbs, two sprigs finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Tomatoes, three large ones cubed
Basil, torn
Vinegar of choice
Capers, a couple of teaspoons
Black olives, one big handful sliced
Anchovies, two or three finely chopped (optional)

1. Toss the bread with the oil, chopped herbs and salt. Then bake in a 180° oven until golden and crunchy.
2. Meanwhile prepare a classic tomato salad with your other ingredients and dress it with your usual vinaigrette (1/3 vinegar, 2/3 oil), making sure you have slightly more dressing than usual.
3. When your croutons have cooled down you can mix them into the salad and serve immediately.

You want the croutons to soak up the dressing, yet retain some crunch. Use whatever you have or like (artichokes, peppers, cucumbers...).

Fresh polenta

This is something I have been dying to try for quite some time now. The result is quite surprising. I love polenta as a quick, stodgy comfort food in the cooler seasons. Making it with fresh corn gives you something akin to a polenta soufflé. It is lighter, sweeter and creamier than its more well known cousin.
I don't think it would hold its own with a heavy meat stew... But I can't wait to try this matched up with fish or a lighter vegetable stew. You could substitute the feta for some other cheese but I think the sharp saltiness is perfect to counterbalance the sweetness of the dish.
The inspiration comes from the genius Yottam Ottolenghi.

Ingredients per person:
1-2 cobs of corn, the kernels cut off
A knob of butter
ca. 25 gr. of feta, crumbled
Salt and pepper

1. Put your corn into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring this to a boil and let it cook for 12 minutes.
2. Take the pan off the heat and pour off most of the water. Keep this, you might still need it. Blend your corn with a stick blender. Add back some cooking water if needed to get the polenta consistancy.
3. Add your butter and feta. Season to taste.