Panzanella – Italian Bread Salad
Recipe for Italian Bread Salad with Pine Nuts
Bread salads are popular and widespread in Mediterranean cuisine. Over the years, many recipes for bread salad have developed in nearly every country. There are two main reasons for this: bread was very precious—and throwing it away was an absolute waste. A bread salad was a great way to use up day-old bread. A second reason: the climate. Especially in the summer, cooking over a fire—or on the stove—is a sweaty affair. With a bread salad, cooking time is reduced to a more comfortable length.
“Panzanella” is a combination of the words “pane” (bread) and “zanella” (deep bowl). And we’ve put together a classic panzanella recipe for you to try at home: The fresh cucumbers and tomatoes in a light vinaigrette provide a lovely contrast to the mild flavor and dry texture of the toasted bread cubes. The salad is quick to make and is just as suitable for a summer picnic as it is for a quick lunch. Molto facile.
Ingredients
300 g stale bread
2 tomatoes
½ red onion
½ cucumber
1 handful of basil
6 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp Condimento Bianco Agrodolce
40 g pine nuts
Garlic, rosemary, and thyme for the bread cubes
Step 1 : The Preparation
Peel the onion and cut it into quarters. Rinse the fresh tomatoes and remove the green stems. Next, wash the cucumber and trim both ends. Then wash a few sprigs of basil, pat them dry gently, and remove the stems. Now cut the bread into bite-sized cubes. Don’t cut them too small, though—otherwise, the bread will crumble very quickly when mixed.
Step 2 : Prepare the vinaigrette
Put the vinegar and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl and stir them together until the mixture is creamy. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You can also use herb-infused oil for this recipe.
Step 3 : Chop the vegetables for the panzanella
Using a sharp knife, slice the quartered onion into thin slices. Cut the cucumber into quarters lengthwise. Place two halves at a time, flat side down, on the cutting board, and slice the cucumber. Cut the tomatoes in half, then cut each half lengthwise into thirds and then into bite-sized pieces.
Step 4 : Toast the pine nuts
Put the pine nuts in a dry, hot skillet and toast them over medium heat until they’re golden brown and smell wonderful. Stir them occasionally so they don’t get too dark! Mmm, the aroma is filling the kitchen so nicely! Once the pine nuts are done toasting, set them aside on a small plate for now.
Step 5 : Toasting the bread
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add enough bread cubes to almost completely cover the bottom of the skillet. If you’ve cut more bread than will fit in the skillet, you can work in several batches. If you’d like to add even more flavor to the bread, toss some Italian herbs and garlic into the pan. Rosemary and thyme work especially well. Turn the bread cubes occasionally and toast them on all sides until they’re crispy and a beautiful golden brown.
Step 6 : Toss the salad
Now put the vegetables in a large salad bowl. Next, pour the vinaigrette over them. Gently toss everything together. If you let the salad sit for half an hour, the flavors will blend well and the salad will taste even better!
Step 7 : The Finale
To serve, add the toasted bread to the vegetables in the salad bowl and toss the salad one more time. Now divide the bread salad among small plates and sprinkle pine nuts on top. Garnish the panzanella with a few basil leaves. Buon appetito!
