Tuscan Panzanella

Tuscan Panzanella is a simple and refreshing dish, perfect for summer. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 300 g of stale bread, preferably Tuscan
• Ripe tomatoes, about 500 g
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red onion
• Fresh basil, a nice bunch
• Red wine vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Cut the stale bread into pieces and soak it in cold water to soften. Once softened, squeeze out the excess water.
2. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stem, and cut them into pieces.
3. Peel the cucumber and slice it thinly or dice it, as you prefer.
4. Thinly slice the red onion.
5. In a large bowl, combine the squeezed bread, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion.
6. Add a generous amount of hand-torn fresh basil.
7. Season with extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, red wine vinegar, and if you like, a touch of black pepper.
8. Gently mix all the ingredients together, let rest for about half an hour so the flavors can meld well.

Panzanella is best enjoyed at room temperature, so I recommend not storing it in the fridge before serving.

Curiosity

Panzanella is a dish that has its roots in Tuscan peasant tradition, where it was prepared to avoid wasting stale bread. Originally, it did not include the use of tomatoes, which were only introduced after the discovery of America and the spread of this vegetable in Europe.