- Prep time
- 0:15
- Cook time
- 0:10
- Skill level
- Low
- Serves
- 4-6
Panzanella is a perfect spring salad that packs a punch in flavour, with very little effort.
Kirsten recommends using the ripest, juiciest tomatoes you can find. If you don't have any that fit that description, "wait until you have".
Slightly stale sourdough bread is best for this salad, as it'll lose some of its toughness in soaking up salad juices.
If you prefer a crunch, toast the bread to add additional texture.
Ingredients
Method
- 1.Preheat oven to 180°C.
- 2.Toss bread chunks with olive oil in a bowl. Kirsten likes to season with salt and pepper as well.
- 3.If toasting, spread bread on a tray and toast in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, until the outside is golden and crunchy but the inside is still a little soft. Remove and leave to cool.
- 4.Cut each tomato into 8 chunky pieces. Use any tomatoes you have, as long as they are tasty, fresh and juicy. Don't be afraid to mix tomato varieties; for this recipe Kirsten used a mix of cherry tomatoes, black Russians, beef steak and yellow cherry tomatoes cut rustically into teaspoon-sized pieces. Sprinkle on salt and let sit. Don't worry if lots of juice comes out! That is the best bit. The juice becomes part of the dressing.
- 5.Cut cucumber into any shaped chunks around 2.5cm in size. Place cucumber and basil with the tomatoes.
- 6.Combine the dressing ingredients then add to the salad along with the bread chunks, then toss lightly.
- 7.Rest the salad for five minutes before serving to allow juices to soak into the bread. Toss it once or twice during this time and then once more before serving!
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