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| Fresh Baked Bread |
I love fresh baked bread but I can never finish a whole loaf and then I feel terrible not eating all of it. However, being Italian there are certain things you grow up with; Two of my favorite Italian traditions is never letting anything go to waste and making Panzanella or Bread Salad.
Bread Salad was once considered a "poor man's meal - a rustic dish, originating from Tuscany and is believed to have developed out of the custom of country folk soaking their old, stale bread in water and mixing it with vegetables from the garden.
Bread Salad is one of my favorite recipes and the perfect way to use a wonderful loaf of bread is hard as a rock. Plus a perfect way to take advantage of all the summertime producer available this time of year.
Panzanella Bread Salad
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| Panzanella or Bread Salad / Photo by Linda Kruse |
NOTE: Leave the crusts on the bread chunks; they will stay chewier and give the panzanella more substance.
Ingredients
- 4 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks
- 4 cups day old (somewhat dry and hard) crusty bread (Italian or French loaf), cut into chunks the same size as the tomatoes*
- 1 cucumber, skinned and seeded, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh basil, torn into little pieces
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup good olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
* If you don't have hard old bread sitting around, you can take fresh crusty bread, cut it into big cubes, lay the cubes out on a baking sheet, and put in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until the outer edges have dried out a bit (not toasted, just dried). If you use fresh bread without doing this, the bread may disintegrate into mush in the salad.
Directions
Mix everything together and let marinate, covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. Do not refrigerate or you will destroy the texture of the tomatoes.
Serve at room temperature.
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