Panzanella
A summer Tuscan bread salad: ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber and basil, with stale bread soaking up every drop of juice.
Ingredients
- 250 g stale crusty bread, torn into bite-size chunks
- 600 g ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 Cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced
- 1 tbsp Capers, rinsed (optional)
- 1 handful Basil
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt and black pepper
Method
- Put the tomatoes in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and leave for 10 min to release their juices.
- Meanwhile, soak the sliced onion in cold water to soften its bite. If your bread is fresh rather than stale, dry the chunks in the oven at 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F) for 10 min.
- Add the bread to the tomatoes with the oil and vinegar and toss well, squeezing the tomatoes a little so the bread drinks up their juice.
- Drain the onion and add it with the cucumber, capers and torn basil. Toss again, season and leave for 20 min so the bread softens but still has some chew.
Tips
- Use the ripest, juiciest tomatoes you can find; they are the dressing as much as the oil.
- A day-old sourdough or country loaf holds its shape best.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Panzanella in Nouns Cooking