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Panzanella

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Panzanella is a flavorful and colorful salad from Central Italy, popular in the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Lazio. It originates in the humble traditions of the countryside, and stems from the practice of recycling leftover bread, which, once dry, was soaked in vinegar and then seasoned with garden vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.

The best bread for panzanella is sourdough or rustic bread. Don’t try it with soft sandwich bread as it will fall apart even if it’s dry. Also make sure that your dried bread is not stale and there is no mold on it: this recipe only works with good quality (from a bakery or home made) bread that is a bit too hard to eat as is.

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Panzanella

Panzanella

corinthian
If you have hard bread left over, panzanella is the salad that will save you from wasting food. Delicious and colorful, its the perfect meal for summer hot days that everybody will love.
prep time
10 min
servings
4
total time
1 hour

Equipment

  • Knife

  • Bowls

Ingredients

  • 150 g dry bread (sourdough, rustic, baguette)

  • 1 red onion or 2 small shallots

  • 1 cucumber

  • 2 ripe tomatoes

  • 10 fresh basil leaves

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 70 g wine vinegar (white or red) + one cap

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1

Soak the bread

Chop the dry bread into chunks and transfer them to a large bowl. Add ~150 g water and press the bread with your fingers down to make sure it absorbs some water. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside for 45 minutes.
2

Marinate the onion

Peel and thinly slice the onion. Transfer into a small bowl and add 70 g water and 70 g vinegar. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain the water and rinse the onion.
3

Prep the vegetables

Rinse well the tomatoes and chop them. Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthwise, and thinly slice it. Rinse the basil leaves and gently pat them dry.
4

Compose the salad

Drain the bread and squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Transfer the bread to the serving bowl. Add the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, and basil. Gently toss the ingredients and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.
5

Season and serve

Take the salad out of the fridge, drizzle with olive oil, one cap of vinegar, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the salad again and serve. Buon appetito!

Notes

Panzanella is a versatile dish: you can add vegetables as you please. Olives, lettuce, mache, and chickpeas all work well with it. You can also add walnuts or tuna to make it into a more complete meal.
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