Panzanella

Panzanella is an easy and fresh, classic Italian salad. It’s a great use for day old artisan bread. The vibrant colors will always brighten up your table. It is so simple and fast to throw together. It is one of the staple salads in my home. You can try adding mustard to the vinaigrette, or anchovies for a flavorful twist.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 cups sourdough bread, torn into 1-inch chunks
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow pepper, roasted, deseeded, and cut into 1cm strips
1 red pepper, roasted, deseeded, and cut into 1cm strips
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ cucumber, seeds discarded, cut into quartered crescents
20-25 vine cherry tomatoes, cut in half
11-12 basil leaves, torn
4 Tbsp sherry vinegar
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a medium baking dish, mix the bread, garlic, 2 Tbsp of the olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until the bread is toasted slightly golden brown.
Place peppers over an open flame. Rotate frequently until all the skin is completely blacken and blistered. Allow to cool and peel off the burnt skin. Deseed the peppers and cut into 1-inch strips.
Place the peeled and sliced red onion into a bowl of ice water and leave to soak. This will take the edge off of the onion and make it sweeter to eat raw.
In a large bowl, mix together toasted bread, roasted peppers, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, and basil.
Drizzle the sherry vinegar, remaining 3 Tbsp of olive oil, over the salad and season well with salt until well coated.
Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to serve.

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