Recipe Tuscan Panzanella

MypinchofItaly

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Panzanella is a poor peasant origin recipe and represents a dish typical of some Regions of Central Italy, mostly Toscana, and also Umbria and Lazio. It’s just a summer dish very simple to do and that does not need cooking : stored bread soaked in water with vinegar and then genuine fresh vegetables. Few ingredients, fresh and tasty…

Panzanella.jpg


Serves 4, Preparation time 15 minutes

  • 7/8 slices of stale bread (from Tuscany if possible)
  • 4 ripe red tomatoes (not cherry tomatoes)
  • some leaves of fresh basil
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 red onion (I use Tropea onion)
  • half glass of wine vinegar
  • salt
  • 5 tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Method



Soak the bread for about 10 minutes in a bowl with cold water and vinegar until it becomes soft.

Peel cucumber and cut into pieces, size you prefer.

Cut and season both tomatoes and onions with 4 tablespoons of EVOO and salt.

Squeeze the bread with your hands, break it roughly and pour it into another bowl with tomatoes, cucumber and onion.

Mix everything with your hands, season with salt, another tablespoon of EVOO and add some basil leaves.

Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour and pull out about 10 minutes before serving.
 
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@MypinchofItaly

What a lovely salad. I prepare too ..

Sincé I am not in Italy ( only a 45 Minute flight to Milano ) but, I use one of the following Day Old Breads made in Barcelona:

Barra Gallega: A crisp rustic wholemeal or whole wheat bread which has twists or knots at each end ..

Hogaza Gallega: This is a rustic large circular bread .. ( Many have sliced it in half and have used the base for a "quickie pizza " in oven ! )

Chapata: Chapata is a rectangular irregular rustic bread with a slightly dusty country crisp top and it is very similar to Italian bread of same category .. It is called Cibatta in Italian. Its bread croutons are wonderful .. And I normally use this one ..

Thanks for posting.
Have a lovely day ..
 
Last edited:
@MypinchofItaly

What a lovely salad. I prepare too ..

Sincé I am not in Italy ( only a 1 hour flight to Milano ) but, I use one of the following Day Old Breads made in Barcelona:

Barra Gallega: A crisp rustic wholemeal or whole wheat bread which has twists or knots at each end ..

Hogaza Gallega: This is a rustic large circular bread .. ( Many have sliced it in half and have used the base for a "quickie pizza " in oven ! )

Chapata: Chapata is a rectangular irregular rustic bread with a slightly dusty country crisp top and it is very similar to Italian bread of same category .. It is called Cibatta in Italian. Its bread croutons are wonderful .. And I normally use this one ..

Thanks for posting.
Have a lovely day ..

Thank you @Francesca
Oh yes I know very well Ciabatta bread...good!
Your Hogaza Gallega bread makes me think to our Pane Pugliese di Altamura...maybe is similar?
 
Delicious looking, @MypinchofItaly. We enjoy Panzanella several times during the summer. My recipe is a bit different in that it includes bell peppers. It looks so pretty with the tomatoes and the green/yellow/orange peppers. I also cut the bread (usually a Tuscan or peasant bread) into cubes, toss with a bit of oil, and saute until they become crisp on the outside. It may not be authentic Italian, but it is delicious to our Slavic taste buds.
20170612_221857.jpg
 
Delicious looking, @MypinchofItaly. We enjoy Panzanella several times during the summer. My recipe is a bit different in that it includes bell peppers. It looks so pretty with the tomatoes and the green/yellow/orange peppers. I also cut the bread (usually a Tuscan or peasant bread) into cubes, toss with a bit of oil, and saute until they become crisp on the outside. It may not be authentic Italian, but it is delicious to our Slavic taste buds.
View attachment 9250

Hi @Lynne Guinne :), your dish is really delicious! Congrats! I like it very much with bell pepper included. All fresh vegetables are welcoming!
 
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