A Tuscan toasted bread and fresh tomato panzanella salad may be just the ticket for you to enjoy and show off all those garden-fresh tomatoes you don’t always know what to do with.
This is one of those recipes that has very few ingredients, so each one must be of the best quality and prepared correctly.
The unique characteristic of this salad is it contains no lettuce.
Instead it features lightly toasted bread and tomatoes as the two main ingredients, with a light vinaigrette and fresh herbs to make it explode.
The tomatoes should be as fresh as possible, and if you can pick them from your own garden, you’re on the right path.
The only tricky part of the recipe is to make sure you toast the bread lightly – we are not looking for a crouton crunch.
We are trying to achieve a soft toast that is lightly golden but still gives when you press it between your fingers.
Day old bread is best because we don’t want any moisture left before toasting – the texture will be gummy.
Dried and lightly toasted bread will absorb the liquid from the tomatoes and the vinaigrette and offer a bite with great texture and punch.
Many variations on panzanella exist, and there are very few rules on ingredients other than fresh tomatoes, toasted bread, vinaigrette and fresh herbs.
This recipe includes sliced bell pepper for color and crunch, and marinated artichoke hearts which add a creamy texture to contrast all the bright, fresh flavors.
The whole process takes about 20 minutes, and as the bread toasts you can prep and assemble all the other ingredients.
When the bread is finished toasting, remove it from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes then toss everything together in a large bowl.
Let rest for fifteen minutes to let the flavors harmonize, then serve.
Enjoy!
Panzanella
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Using a half loaf of day-old and dry bread – choose ciabatta, Italian or a rustic artisan style bread – pull the bread apart into chunks.
You don’t want sliced bread as this is a rustic salad and needs to look the part.
Place the pulled bread in large mixing bowl and add:
Enough olive oil to lightly coat.
Add small amounts at a time, toss, repeat until pieces are lightly coated.
Add:
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Toss to evenly distribute, bake on a sheet pan for 10 to fifteen minutes or until lightly golden.
While the bread is baking:
In a large bowl add:
• 1 small sweet red, yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
• Fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges. Depending on the size and shape of your tomatoes, amounts will vary. The best guide is to have equal parts tomatoes and toasted bread. If you yield three cups toasted bread, add 3 cups tomato wedges.
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes
• 1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 small red onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 10 large basil leaves, roughly chopped
For the dressing:
In a mixing bowl add:
• 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
Whisk together then drizzle in while whisking:
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Add small amounts of the vinaigrette at a time to the panzanella until everything is coated and tossed evenly.
Let rest 15 minutes to let the flavors harmonize, whisk just before service.
Enjoy!