From Tuscany with Love. How to craft the perfect Panzanella at home
6 May 2024 13:14
Fans of Southern flavours can get excited. It's rare to come across a dish so simple yet evocative of its cuisine’s spirit. And you won't need to scour Italian delicatessens for ingredients. You've got most of what you need in your kitchen already.
Panzanella is a prime example of a "leftover cuisine" dish. It requires stale bread, a bit of onion, and a tomato. This modest combination can transport you to sunny Tuscany, making you fall in love at first taste. I brought this recipe home from a trip to Florence.
Panzanella - Tuscan aroma on your plate
Panzanella is a salad cherished in Tuscany and Umbria, particularly beloved during the summer months. This incredibly economical dish is bursting with the quintessential flavours of the South. It’s made of stale bread, onions, and tomatoes, with optional additions like cucumbers and basil, drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. For those averse to the sharp taste of onion, soaking it in water with vinegar (e.g., red wine vinegar) beforehand softens its bite.
The name of the salad is said to derive from "pane," Italian for "bread," and "zanella," a kind of deep plate the dish is traditionally served on. Modern takes on Panzanella sometimes include lettuce, olives, mozzarella, white wine, capers, anchovies, celery, carrots, red wine, tuna, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, mint, bell pepper, lemon juice, or garlic. Yet, purists often eschew these additions and favour the simpler, onion-based version of yesteryear sans tomatoes.
The choice of bread is crucial; the recipe stipulates only Tuscan bread, known for being baked without salt — an ingredient many (outside of Tuscany, at least) don't rank highly among breads. Nonetheless, this dish finds its perfect use. It’s best if the bread is either stale or toasted and then soaked in a mix of red wine vinegar and water in equal parts.
How to make panzanella at home? Recipe
Ingredients:
4 slices of stale or crispy baked sourdough bread,
6 tomatoes,
1 red onion,
About 50ml olive oil,
About 50ml water,
About 100ml red wine vinegar,
A few basil leaves,
Salt and pepper.
Preparation:
