Chicago Dog Panzanella
Oh, hey! It’s been a minute since I’ve posted because well… this has been a weird summer.
And, as ever, hot dogs have brought me back to my happy place. Introducing Chicago Dog panzanella, for when you want to impress people but also constantly crave Chicago Dogs.
Panzanella is a Tuscan dried-or-stale bread salad tossed in a vinaigrette with whatever else you want, but most commonly tomatoes. In my Chicago Dog version, craggy crunchy cubes of Italian bread are lavished in a piquant, umami-rich dressing made from the juice of the tomatoes mixed with yellow mustard, pickle brine, celery salt, poppy seeds, and a splash of olive oil.
Crisp chopped pickles, spicy sport peppers, and red onion (heresy to the Chicago way, but I swear, it just tastes better than white onions here) round out the salad, which truly tastes like a Chicago Dog with each bite.
An aside on ketchup, because I am a Chicagoan and I know you will think you are being VERY CLEVER by being all, “Uh Justine I’m just gonna put ketchup on it!” to get a rise out of me. You’re adorable! (You’re not.) I honestly don’t care what you put on your hot dog so long as it isn’t Satan’s condiment, mayo. But ketchup has no place on my Chicago Dog nor in this recipe, which is also devoid of relish, which made this sickly sweet to me. (But on an almost burned bonfire hot dog, one of life’s simple pleasures? Ketchup is a must.)
So go ahead, turn your Chicago Dog obsession into something presentable for company, but it’s just as good eaten in your underwear on your couch while watching “What We Do In the Shadows” for the eightieth time.
Chicago Dog Panzanella
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
4 cups torn fresh bread, like Italian, ciabatta, or sourdough
3 medium tomatoes
3 Vienna Beef hot dogs
4 Vienna Beef or Claussen pickle spears
4 sport peppers
Half a medium red onion
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 teaspoons pickle brine
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350.
Dice tomatoes and scoop juices and flesh into a colander set over a bowl. Toss with kosher salt and celery salt; let drain for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to release the juices.
Toss torn bread with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt to taste. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes, until well crisped and starting to turn golden.
While the bread toasts, grill or griddle your hot dogs. Chop into coins and add to large bowl. Chop pickles and sport peppers. Shave the red onion thinly. Add to the bowl with the hot dogs.
Remove bread from the oven and let cool.
Add drained tomatoes to the bowl, reserving the juices for your dressing. Add mustard, pickle brine, poppy seeds, and olive oil to the tomato juices and whisk vigorously to create an emulsion.
Add half the toasted bread to mixing bowl with all other ingredients and toss with half of your tomato dressing. Let sit for a few minutes to let the dressing get absorbed. Add the remaining bread and toss with more dressing to hit your preferred texture. (You may not use all your dressing. I always like to err on the side of a drier salad, but I am also super anti-squishy food, so panzanella is a little bit like an exciting race against time for me.)
Serve immediately.
Note: I bet this would be super delicious using cornbread, if that’s more your speed. Corn dogs rule.