Name: Panzanella (Tuscan Summer Bread and Vegetable Salad)
Yield: Makes 2 Servings or More
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 2 or 3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed; 2 large ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced (Tomato Basics); Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 small red (bell) pepper, cored, seeded (Bell Pepper Basics), and cut into thin slivers; ½ red onion, halved and cut into thin slivers; 8 to 12 kalamata or oil-cured black olives; 1 garlic clove, minced (optional); 2 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves (do not use dried); ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving; 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives or chopped fresh parsley; ¼ cup red wine vinegar, or 2 tablespoons each red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, plus more for serving; 1 long loaf (12 inches) good Italian bread, day-old; 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced; 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (do not use dried)

Preparation info

Makes
2
Servings or More

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Get in There and Cook

By Richard Sax

Published 1997

About

This is an ingenious and delicious way to use up yesterday’s bread. Many cuisines transform day-old bread into similar salads, as well as bread soups and more.

With real Tuscan bread, which is firm and dense, the day-old bread is soaked in cold water, then squeezed dry. Because most bread we get here is less dense, I’ve soaked the bread more quickly and then marinated it in a vinegar and olive oil dressing, which soaks in nicely.