Italian · Mains
Panzanella
At the height of tomato season, for every perfectly ripe, taut and juicy specimen there's an overripe, oozing counterpart not far away. The Tuscan bread salad called panzanella is the perfect place to use those sad, soft tomatoes that are still rich in flavor. Traditional panzanella is made with stale, dried bread that's rehydrated with a dressing of sweet tomato juices, vinegar and plenty of olive oil. This version includes mozzarella for richness and cucumber for crunch.
Ingredients
Serves 6- 4 ozciabatta or baguette, preferably stale, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 tbspextra-virgin olive oil, more to taste
- ¾ tspkosher sea salt, more to taste
- 2 lbvery ripe tomatoes, preferably a mix of varieties and colors
- 6 ozfresh mozzarella, torn or cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ cupthinly sliced red onion, about half a small onion
- 2garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- 2 tbspred wine vinegar, more to taste
- 1 tbspchopped fresh oregano or thyme (or a combination)
- pinch red-pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ tspDijon mustard
- Black pepper, to taste
- ½ cupthinly sliced Persian or Kirby cucumber, about 1 small cucumber
- ½ cuptorn basil leaves
- ¼ cupflat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbspcapers, drained
Method
- 01
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and a pinch of salt. Bake until they are dried out and pale golden brown at the edges, about 7 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
- 02
Cut tomatoes into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add mozzarella, onions, garlic paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar, oregano or thyme, ¼ tsp salt and the red-pepper flakes if using. Toss to coat and set aside.
- 03
In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, the mustard, ¼ tsp salt and some black pepper to taste. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil until the mixture is thickened. Stir in cucumbers, basil and parsley.
- 04
Add bread cubes, cucumber mixture and capers to the tomatoes and toss well. Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving. Toss with a little more olive oil, vinegar and salt if needed just before serving.