italian bread salad

Panzanella is a classic tomato and bread salad from Tuscany. Bursting with ripe tomatoes, cucumber and basil, it&#39;s hard to think of a salad that screams &quot;summer&quot; any louder. Chunks of lightly toasted bread meanwhile bring delicious texture and some heft to the salad, making it filling enough for lunch or a light meal.Be warned, this salad demands the very best tomatoes! If you don&#39;t have juicy tomatoes, don&#39;t make this. Make another salad instead!And though some Italians may tell you toasting bread is not the traditional way to make Panzanella, don&#39;t skip it. That is, unless you WANT unidentifiable white mush in your bowl within minutes of making this!

Panzanella (Italian tomato and bread salad)

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

tomatoes ((Note 1))

tsp cooking/kosher salt ((or 3/4 tsp table salt))

Lebanese cucumbers ((or 1 long telegraph/English cucumber), peeled (optional) (Note 3))

basil leaves (, loosely packed)

Dijon mustard

tsp garlic (, finely minced (~1 large or 2 small))

tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F (160°C fan).

Toss bread chunks with 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl.

Toast: Spread bread on a a tray and toast for about 15 minutes, until the outside is becoming golden and crunchy but the inside is still a little soft, like toast. Remove and leave to cool.

Toast bread:

Cut tomato into 8 wedges each. Cut some of these wedges into half (I like irregular shapes for this rustic salad).

Sweat tomato with salt: Put tomatoes into a colander over a large bowl. Season with the salt, toss and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out the juices. RESERVE the tomato juice in the bowl for the dressing.

Cut cucumber into any shaped chunks aroun 2.5cm / 1&quot; pieces. Again, I like to do irregular but even-sized shapes.

Toss veg: Place tomato sweating in colander into large bowl. Add cucumber and basil, toss gently.

Tomato Dressing: Add Dressing ingredients into bowl holding the tomato juice, whisk well.

Dress salad: Add bread to salad, pour over dressing. Give it a light toss.

Rest then serve: Leave for 5 minutes to let the juices soak into the bread, tossing once or twice. Toss once more just before serving!

Salad:

A super simple twist on classic Italian bread salad, this grilled peach Panzanella salad is made with grilled stone fruit, garlicky crusty crostini bread,  and tons of basil.

Grilled Peach Panzanella Salad Recipe

shallots (end trimmed, halved and sliced paper thin)

red wine vinegar

kosher salt

black pepper

unrefined cane sugar

sweet 100s tomatoes or cherry tomatoes (halved )

extra-virgin olive oil

bread

garlic

peaches

basil leaves

Soak The Shallots: Heat a grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, combine shallots and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar in a small nonreactive bowl, season with each a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar, stir to combine, and set aside for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.In a large bowl, combine the halved tomatoes with 3 tablespoons of the oil, season with salt, toss to combine, and set aside.

Make The Crostini: Brush the bread slices on both sides with the remaining olive oil, place on a grill pan, and cook until charred on both sides, about 5 minutes. Set bread aside to cool slightly.Grill The Peaches: Brush peaches the peaches with the olive oil, season with salt, and grill, cut-side down, until just charred on one side but still firm, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Plate The Salad: When the bread is cool enough to handle, rub it with the garlic clove and season with salt. Cut or tear into bite-sized pieces. Add the shallots and vinegar to the bread and toss to coat. Just before serving, add the tomatoes to the bread mixture, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil or vinegar, as desired. Add peaches to the bowl and gently turn to coat. Plate the salad, scatter with a handful of fresh basil leaves, drizzle with additional olive oil as desired, and serve.

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Top 2 italian bread salad recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian bread salad recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Panzanella (Italian tomato and brea...

Grilled Peach Panzanella Salad Reci...

The most viewed italian bread salad recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine