One of My Favorite Recipes

Insalata di Panzanella

Panzanella is a classic Tuscan bread salad. Made with ripe tomatoes, rustic Italian bread, and a tangy vinaigrette dressing, this is the perfect summertime dish. By toasting the bread in the oven, you can add an additional touch of texture to this easy, go-to recipe.

From Florence to Rome, there are endless variations of this salad. However, almost all Italians do agree on one thing: using hefty day-old country bread is a must. Prepared the traditional way, this salad always starts with stale bread that's soaked in water for about 15 minutes or so, then wrung out and cut up or crumbled by hand to be tossed with vegetables.

What You Need

5 ounces or half a loaf of rustic Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

– Extra virgin olive oil –

Kosher salt

2 ¼ pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into small wedges

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

– ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard –

1 teaspoon fresh thyme (optional)

– Black pepper (to taste)

2 small shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

– ½ cup fresh basil, finely torn

4 ounces fresh baby mozzarella cheese (optional)

Tips

Cut the bread into cubes ahead of time and leave it out to dry for a few hours. While it may be easy to skip toasting the bread, don't skip this step. It only takes a few minutes in the oven; this makes a big difference in texture and helps keep the salad from becoming too soggy.

You can always pare down the dressing if you would prefer something simpler. While both extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar are essential, the exact mixture of these two dressings is completely up to you.

Directions

– Heat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine bread cubes with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt. Toss to ensure bread is well coated. Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and bake in a heated oven for 10 minutes or until golden (the edges should be crisp while the bread remains chewy).

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– Place a large colander over the same mixing bowl. Put the tomatoes in the colander and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss briefly. Set aside for a few minutes to allow tomatoes to release their juices in the bowl.

Move the colander with tomatoes aside. Use the mixing bowl with the tomato juice to prep the dressing. Add red wine, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, thyme, and a pinch of black pepper. Whisk to combine.

Add tomatoes, bread cubes, shallots, basil and mozzarella (if using) to the mixing bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Allow the salad to sit for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

– Toss and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with basil leaves and enjoy.

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