Panzanella: Tuscan Tomato Salad
The word “panzanella” derives from “pan,” which means bread, and “zanella” which means small basket. It kind of makes sense—with a small basket of leftover, stale bread, collected over the week, you can make this delightful, summery salad. This is cucina povera: summer edition.
Preparation: 40 minutes
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 250 g stale bread,
- cut into chunks
- 1 red onion (ca 50 g),
- finely diced
- 150 g cherry tomatoes,
- quartered
- 100 g cucumber, diced into
- ½ inch / 1 cm cubes
- 15 basil leaves, torn
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
PROCEDURE:
- In a small bowl, soften the bread with a little bit of water, then squeeze out the excess water. Crumble the bread by hand and transfer to a large salad bowl. Add the onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and basil leaves and mix thoroughly.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and stir, then let it rest for 30 minutes, so the flavors can mingle.
Serve and enjoy!
You will find the recipes in our Cookbook at the following link: Cookbook Il Casale
