Recipe courtesy of David Rosengarten
Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)
- Yield: 8 servings.
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 286
- Total Fat
- 12
- Saturated Fat
- 2
- Carbohydrates
- 38
- Dietary Fiber
- 4
- Sugar
- 9
- Protein
- 8
- Cholesterol
- 0
- Sodium
- 635
- Total: 30 min
- Prep: 30 min
Ingredients
1 pound English cucumbers
1 pound sweet onions, (such as Vidalia, Walla Walla or Maui)
Salt
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 5 medium)
1 pound coarse rustic or Italian-style bread, crusts removed, torn in large chunks and left to stale 1 week
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
6 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Freshly-ground black pepper
Directions
- Peel cucumbers leaving some green skin in alternating strips; slice as thinly as possible. Slice onions as thinly as possible. In a colander, toss cucumber and onion slices with 2 teaspoons salt. Weight with a plate and let drain 20 minutes. Quarter, then thinly slice tomatoes.
- In a large bowl of cold water soak staled bread just until it loses its firmness and becomes spongy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If you have let your bread get stale for less than 2 days, just run it briefly under cold, running water.) Using your hands, gently squeeze out water without compacting bread too much. Tear into pieces about 1/2-inch wide and 3-inches long.
- In a large bowl combine soaked bread, cucumbers and onions, tomatoes, basil, oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.