This panzanella salad combines ripe tomatoes and peppers and old stale bread, creating something which is like summer on a plate, it’s far more than the sum of the parts. There are lots of ways of making this salad, some peel the tomatoes, some don’t, you might include capers or olives, some don’t toast the bread. Use the list below as a guide and tweak as you see fit and the time you have available allows.
You might serve it with soup, or roast chicken, or just enjoy it on it’s own for a light lunch.
PrintItalian panzanella recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5
Ingredients
- 2 yellow peppers
- 6 large ripe tomatoes
- ½ cucumber
- 4 tbsp capers
- 30 black olives
- A handful of basil leaves
- 200 g / 7 oz ciabatta stale or fresh
- 6 tbsp oil olive
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- A few basil leaves to add before serving
Instructions
- Heat the grill as hot as it will go and put the peppers under it, wait until the skin blackens and then turn them round until they are black all over. Pop them in a small plastic bag and close it. Leave them for ten minutes.
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumber and basil roughly and place in a large bowl.
- Remove the skin, core and seeds from the peppers. Roughly chop and add to the tomatoes. Mix in the capers and olives.
- Slice the bread and toast it lightly, let it cool standing up, so the heat doesn’t cool in the bread and make it soggy.
- Mix the oil and vinegar and season well.
- Ten minutes before you want to serve the salad, tear up the toast and put it in the salad bowl. Pour the dressing over and let it all soak in. Add in the tomato mixture and mix.
- Top with the basil leaves and serve.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates: 20g
Here I am on the South Island New Zealand in a massive rainstorm and racking my brains for recipes to cook ahead in preparation for nephew Fred and his family’s visit to us all in Oakura. I only have my iPad. Whose web site do I turn to? Delia? Jamie? Otto? None of the above. Holly does it every time.. thanks from the other side of the globe. X
Hope you are having an amazing time there Vicki. This means so much from you, thank you!