Foodsberg: Squash and Tomato Panzanella from Abbey Road Farms

We are aggressively in harvest season right now, but we’re just as aggressively leaving it as the weather turns cool and crisp. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to celebrate the last few days of summer before slipping into soup season.

Located a few miles out of town between Newberg and Carlton, Abbey Road Farms is a winery, vacation rental location, events venue, and working farm with considerable output that occasionally shows up at area markets. Who better than a farmer to provide a great harvest meal?

So I was connected with Abbey Road Chef Will Preisch, who prepares food for Abbey Road’s “The Bistro”, located in their Cellar Room. Preisch has a long resume spanning back to 2013 working in some of the top restaurants in the region and world. After the pandemic forced his business, Holdfast Dining, to close down, he found his next adventure at Abbey Road.

For those unfamiliar, a Panzanella is an Italian “bread salad” traditionally made with chopped onions, purslane, and cucumbers. However, more modern takes almost always feature tomatoes and other garden vegetables.

This recipe, he says, is “the perfect fall salad for a home gardener to show off their produce.”

One thing I particularly love about this recipe, outside of the incredible flavor profile, is that it’s 90% prep that can be done days in advanced. Have a few friends coming over for a weeknight game night and have some free time on Sunday? Spend one-to-two hours getting everything all prepped and ready to go so when game night comes, you pull out the components, dress ’em up, assemble, and get to gaming.

And, the components aren’t technically difficult by any stretch of the imagination. It’s either blending or frying. Just make sure to keep an eye out for when that garlic or the capers turns golden in the oil. Your house will never smell better.

So throw on those aprons, sharpen those kitchen knives, and let’s get cooking with the latest installment of Foodsberg featuring Abbey Road Farms’ Will Preisch.

Squash and Tomato Panzanella

with miso cream cheese and black olive-caper-garlic crunch

Prep Time: 1.5 hours
Cook Time: < 15 minutes
Serves: 2 – 4

Cooking Instructions

Miso Cream Cheese

1. Combine miso and lemon juice in a food processor, and blend until incorporated.
2. Add cream cheese, pulse a little bit then add sour cream and pulse slowly to not break the mixture.
3. Store in refrigerator for up to 7 days. 

Croutons

1. Preheat your oven to 375° F.
2. In a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil over the bread chunks. Season with salt. Toss gently until well combined.
3. Spread the bread out on a baking sheet, lined with parchment.
4. Bake until golden, 10-20m. 
5. Remove from oven and let cool completely. 
6. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to a week. 

Squash + Tomatoes

1. Cut squash into large chunks. Think 1 – 2 bite pieces.
2. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Drizzle in enough olive oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Once the pan is hot. Add your squash and sauté until done. Flipping the squash half way through the cooking process. You want these to be cooked, but not mushy. Test with a fork to determine proper texture.
4. Set aside to cool, until ready to assemble the salad

Assembly

1. Take a large plate or bowl and spread the miso cream cheese in an even layer on the bottom.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine your cooked squash, raw tomatoes and croutons. Dress lightly with salt, 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Mix well, ensuring that all the ingredients are well seasoned. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning. 
3. Lay the dressed veggies and croutons on top of the miso cream cheese. 
4. Using a spoon, place a few knobs of ricotta cheese on top of the salad. 
5. Sprinkle a bit of the black olive-caper-garlic crunch on top.
6. Garnish with some torn basil leaves and extra olive oil.