PANZANELLA

Tuscan Bread & Tomato Salad

Just give me a ripe tomato in the summer and I am in my happy place. Panzanella is a typical Mediterranean style salad combining plentiful summer ingredients: Bread, tomatoes, fresh herbs, some shallots and garlic if you wish. You can extend the ingredients and make it more filling by adding fish, cheese or keep it vegan with nuts and seeds. This salad is great to eat on it's own as a filling lunch or to accompany any meal.

What I love about this salad is it captures the summer flavours. The bread absorbs all the salad dressing and juices of the ripe tomatoes. It is easy to make and it is refreshing on a hot summer day when lightness is needed for the digestive system.

I enjoyed many Panzanella type salads when I lived in Cyprus. My mums favourite was with feta cheese and lots of dressing so our sourdough bread could soak it all up. This variation is usually referred to as a Greek salad.

Ingredients for Panzanella:

2 ripe tomatoes

1 shallot or red onion

Sea salt

Juice of half a lemon or quality red wine vinegar

Ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Stale ciabatta, (about a thick slice) torn into chunks

1/2 tbsp pickled caper berries or caper stems

1 tin of drained sardines (optional)

Fresh basil leaves

METHOD:

Tear the ciabatta into random pieces and put it on a baking tray drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 160 C till dry and crisp, on the outside but with a little softness in the centre. The dryer it is the more dressing the bread will absorb.

Cut the tomatoes into rough chunks, slice shallots thinly, put all in a bowl and season. Add the lemon juice or vinegar, olive oil, torn basil and give it good mix. Let it sit for 30 minutes for the flavours to marinate and tomatoes to let out their juices. Add in sardines if using and the bread pieces. Give it a good stir and let it site for 30-60 minutes allowing the bread to soak up the dressing.