Salads work great as a side dish on a hot summer day. In addition, tomatoes are so good and juicy during this time of year.

Jessica made a panzanella salad as a side dish for her July 4 lunch, which she described as a “bread salad.”

This segment aired on California Cooking With Jessica Holmes Episode 38.

Jessica’s Summer Panzanella Salad

Ingredients, for salad

• 1 cup vine-ripened tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size
• 2 cups heirloom tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size
• ¼ cup Kalamata olives, halved and pitted
• one-quarter red onion, sliced thin
• ½ cup of fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

For grill

• one baguette, sliced
• olive oil
• pepper
• salt
• glove of garlic
• two bell peppers, one red and one yellow

Instructions, for tomatoes

1. Combine heirloom tomatoes and vine ripe tomatoes in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, make the dressing: Combine dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Whisk together.
4. Pour dressing on tomatoes and let sit while you grill the bread.

For grill

1. Brush baguette slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Place the bread slices and two whole bell peppers on the grill.
3. Grill the bread slices until grill marks appear and the bread is crisp.
4. Take bread off and rub whole garlic cloves all over while the bread is still warm.
5. Take peppers off the grill once they have grill marks on all sides, then cut and seed them.

To finish

1. Add Kalamata olives, grilled peppers, sliced onions and torn basil.
2. Cut bread into bite size pieces and add on top.
3. Mix, serve immediately and enjoy!