This is one of my all time favourite salads! Traditionally, panzenella is a bread/tomato based salad. I imagine it was created to use up left over or stale bread. Served with a piece of roasted chicken or sliced ham, this salad is perfect as a side dish or main meal. Ingredients Serves: 8 1 loaf Crusty Bread 1 Whole Cucumber, cut in half and deseeded 3 Assorted Tomatoes, cut into wedges (cherry tomatoes optional) ½ Red Onion, thinly sliced ½ Green Pepper, cut into large cubes ½ Yellow Pepper, cut into large cubes ¼ cup Olive oil plus extra for bread ½ Tblsp Red Wine Vinegar ½ Tblsp White Balsamic Vinegar (Lorena) 20 Whole Fresh Basil Leaves Parmesan Shavings Method Preheat the oven to 180 C. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes, arrange on a baking sheet, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Place the pan in the oven for 20-25 minutes to slightly crisp the bread without toasting it. Remove it from the oven and allow to cool. In a large bowl, combine bread, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers and onion. In a small jar, shake together the olive oil, vinegars, salt and pepper (you can also whisk them together). Pour over the salad ingredients, tossing gently. Add basil and Parmesan shavings and toss again. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for an hour or two before serving. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper before serving if required. Tips:

Panzenella does not usually have peppers in it. The tomatoes are suppose to be the star of the show. If you do not like peppers, you can always leave them out and increase the amount of tomatoes.
I like to gently sauté my onion and peppers for this salad. Here’s how:
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and gently sweat them until they begin to turn translucent. Add peppers and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Allow to cool before adding into the salad.

Panzenella (Italian Bread Salad)

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