Simple recipes made with fresh, local ingredients are the best and most anxiously awaited each season. I only make this tomato salad at the peak of tomato season and then, as often as possible. Panzanella is a rustic dish that originated on farms in Tuscany, utilizing stale bread and whatever vegetables were available at the time (onions/tomatoes, usually). This particular recipe celebrates two of my favorite summer flavors: basil and tomatoes. I prefer my panzanella without onions, but many recipes call for thinly slivered red onions.

PANZANELLA, TOMATO BREAD SALAD

INGREDIENTS

5 cups hearty, peasant bread torn into chunks (sourdough works great)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus some for drizzling)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 large, ripe tomatoes cut into large cubes or wedges
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons/shredded (chiffonade)
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf, Italian parsley
1/2 cup, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus some for seasoning the bread)
freshly cracked black pepper

LET’S MAKE IT!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread chunks in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake 15 minutes until dry and barely toasted.

Shave the Parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, basil, parsley and salt. Fold tomatoes into dressing.

Gently fold in bread and cheese. Adjust salt and grind pepper to taste.

Serve panzanella at room temperature as a light lunch or a side dish with tenderloin, topped with a poached quail egg from your backyard pets, of course.

Kathy Shea Mormino

Affectionately known internationally as The Chicken Chick®, Kathy Shea Mormino shares a fun-loving, informative style to raising backyard chickens. …Read on

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Simple recipes made with fresh, local ingredients are the best and most anxiously awaited each season. I only make this tomato salad at the peak of tomato season and then, as often as possible. Panzanella is a rustic dish that originated on farms in Tuscany, utilizing stale bread and whatever vegetables were available at the time (onions/tomatoes, usually). This particular recipe celebrates two of my favorite summer flavors: basil and tomatoes. I prefer my panzanella without onions, but many recipes call for thinly slivered red onions.

PANZANELLA, TOMATO BREAD SALAD

INGREDIENTS

5 cups hearty, peasant bread torn into chunks (sourdough works great)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus some for drizzling)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 large, ripe tomatoes cut into large cubes or wedges
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons/shredded (chiffonade)
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf, Italian parsley
1/2 cup, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus some for seasoning the bread)
freshly cracked black pepper

LET’S MAKE IT!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread chunks in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake 15 minutes until dry and barely toasted.

Shave the Parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, basil, parsley and salt. Fold tomatoes into dressing.

Gently fold in bread and cheese. Adjust salt and grind pepper to taste.

Serve panzanella at room temperature as a light lunch or a side dish with tenderloin, topped with a poached quail egg from your backyard pets, of course.

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Ricky Albert
Ricky Albert
9 years ago

Hello there, Great foods!! Thank you so much for sharing these, we are truly inspired!!! We would like to add your blog to the Top Food Blog list in http://www.mytaste.com/ with over 6 million users worldwide… Your blog is impressively BEAUTIFUL and deserves to be included on the Top list!! We will feature your blog and create shout outs about your recipes to our fan pages. MyTaste is a social platform for foodies and blogs/sites owners like you and it helps to reach more people, get more visibility from the web and share/save foods and recipes. Some of them receive… Read more »

Michelle Nahom
10 years ago

I love panzanella salad and yours looks wonderful. There is just nothing like summer tomatoes. I am going to be so sad when the season is over! Thanks for linking up with us at Foodie Fridays!