Ben Mark’s Flourish Panzanella

Ben Marks is wunderchef of the pan-European Perilla in Newington Green and Morchella in Clerkenwell

Ben Mark’s Flourish Panzanella

Panzanella base:
200g tomatoes, grated on a box grater
1g garlic, grated on a fine microplane 
6g sea salt
1 small loaf of sourdough, crusts removed and torn into 1cm pieces, baked at 160°C until golden

Vinaigrette:
160g sherry vinegar
5g mustard powder
25g sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
5g cracked black pepper
70g demerara sugar
450ml grapeseed oil
450ml olive oil


Selection of Flourish vegetables (can modify depending on seasonality):
Raddichio
Puntarelle 
Radishes
Red onions
Small brassica shoots
Brassica flowers
Herbs

For the vegetables, shave thinly on a mandolin and cut into mouth-sized pieces. Drop into iced water and compress in a vacuum pack a couple of times in the bowl, if you have one. Strain well and spin in a salad spinner.

For the herbs and leaves, tear into mouth-sized pieces and repeat the same process as the vegetables above.

For the onion, slice thinly on a mandolin and marinate in a little salt, olive oil and vinegar to soften.

For the vinaigrette, mix well with a stick blender then pass through a fine sieve. Pour into a squeezy bottle for ease.

To finish, mix the toasted sourdough with the tomato, garlic and salt until well combined and place on the bottom of a bowl or plate.

Dress the leaves, herbs and vegetables in the vinaigrette, double-check for seasoning and place delicately over the top of the tomato and bread mix.

Food pics credit: Mattie Piccininni