Panzanella

Tomatoes don’t come from Italy! They actually originated in the Mexico. Aztecs had been cultivating tomatoes for years before they ever traveled to the Mediterranean, which were brought to Europe in the mid 1500’s by the Spanish. I like to imagine Italian cooks losing their ever-loving minds when they first met the tomato. “Mamma Mia!”… Festive jigs…chef’s kisses thrown in the air! In reality, most Europeans snubbed the tomato and potato and most foods from the New World at first.

Panzanella is a traditional Italian dish that is a creative way to use up old bread. The crusty bread soaks up all the tomato juices and creates a delicious bread salad. Yes you heard me, a bread salad. Italians are so brilliant.

The traditional way is to salt the tomatoes, releasing their juice and creating a vinaigrette with said juice. Well, Italians aren’t the boss of me. I like to make a separate vinaigrette and just toss everything in because it’s all going to get together in the bowl anyway. Definitely not traditional but simple and so good and… gasp…vegan!

When making a simple salad like this, good ingredients are imperative! Use the best tomatoes you can get, extra virgin olive oil you have and real balsamic vinegar. A word on balsamic vinegar… true balsamic vinegar comes from a region in Italy called Modena. The European Union has this genius certification on foods called the Protected Designation of origin (PDO), like a culinary copyright. It helps protect the consumer and the creator from cheap knock offs. Just like Champagne can only be called Champagne if it is from the Champagne wine region of France, it is the same with Balsamic. If you buy balsamic at a grocery store without a PDO or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale on the label, you may have a pretty good wine vinegar, but not true balsamic. Anyway, please enjoy this vinaigrette on this salad and any future salad endeavors!

Panzanella holds a special place in my heart because it’s the very first recipe that I made for my husband. I started dating him when I was in culinary school and I think I tricked him into marrying me with all the treats I would bring home for him. Now our son loves it too and it brings me so much joy.

Yield: 6 servings

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Panzanella

Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 baguette
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
• 1 small bunch of basil (sliced thin)
• 1 English cucumber (sliced thin)
• 3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil for toasting bread

Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (or honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Cut baguette into 1 inch cubes or tear into small bite sized pieces. If cutting, start by slicing the bread with a serrated knife, then cut into slices, then small cubes. Tearing creates a more rustic looking salad. Choose your own adventure. Says a lot about you. Are you a torn bread person or a perfect, little cube person? I’m torn bread.
2. In a skillet, heat 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once heated, add the bread, stirring to coat the bread bites in oil. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper. Stir occasionally for a few minutes until bread is golden and toasty. Add bread to a large bowl.
3. Slice tomatoes in half and add to the bowl. For the cucumber, slice it first lengthways into 2 pieces. Then, position the cut side of the cucumber down so that you have a flat surface. Always try to get round foods on a flat surface so that you are cutting more safely. From here, you can slice into little half moons, as thin as you like. Add to the bowl.
4. Make the vinaigrette by shaking all ingredients into a closed mason jar. Make sure that the salt and maple syrup have dissolved. This will take a lot of shaking. (This vinaigrette stores in the fridge for a week or 2 and goes well with any salad)
5. Slice basil by stacking leaves on top of one another, rolling them like a cigar and slicing into thin ribbons with a sharp knife.(this is called a chiffonade if you want to get fancy and technical)
6. Add the vinaigrette and sliced basil to the salad and toss.
7. Makes one very large salad with a little extra dressing for future salad endeavors.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

548.01

Fat (grams)

27.32

Sat. Fat (grams)

3.88

Carbs (grams)

62.39

Fiber (grams)

1.98

Net carbs

60.41

Sugar (grams)

31.78

Protein (grams)

7.31

Sodium (milligrams)

544.51

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @Savortoothtiger on instagram and hashtag it #