PANZANELLA: TUSCAN BREAD SALAD

Panzanella is a delicious bread salad recipe originating in Tuscany.

It’s a refreshing salad, easy to make and great to eat on a hot day.

This traditional Tuscan salad is best made with a nice crusty loaf of Italian bread and the ripest tomatoes you can find.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 loaf of leftover Italian bread torn into bite sized pieces

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, sliced thin

1/2 sweet red bell pepper. diced

1/2 sweet green bell pepper, diced

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

4 anchovy filets, mashed (optional)

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of red wine or balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of freshly grated black pepper

PREPARATION

Pre=heat the oven to 400 degrees

Place the bread on a cookie sheet and toast the bread for around 15 minutes.

Let the bread cool down.

In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and anchovies.

Add the bread, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, peppers, basil and parsley and toss together.

Refrigerate for a half hour to let the flavors blend.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 people