Panzanella

Technically speaking, Panzanella salad always incorporates bread and tomatoes plus fresh vegetables from the garden. Vegetables can include carrots, peppers, cucumbers, onions. Lots of garlic, capers, black olives, and optional anchovies are added to the salad.

Panzanella most likely was an Italian salad that was an invention of necessity. A great cook wastes nothing and this was a way to utilize stale bread and vegetables from the garden.

---

Total Prep Time: 40 min

Ingredients

For The Salad:

4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive OIl

2 tsp. sea salt

Fresh Cracked Pepper

2 Large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 Hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick

2 Bell Peppers, colors of your choice, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1tsp. Dried Oregano

1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced

1 bunch fresh basil

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1 Loaf or Baguette French Bread

Ingredients For The

Vinaigrette:

6 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, turning frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed. Season with salt right away when you take them out of the oil.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, blend the tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, oregano, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Allow the salad to sit for a little under an hour for the flavors to come together.