As I’ve mentioned before, my Italian is a wee bit weak. But I’m pretty sure panzanella translates to “delicious f-ing summer bread salad”–pane being Italian for “bread” and zanella translating to “delicious f-ing summer salad.” Or something like that.
Make this salad while you still can (while tomatoes are in season), and then stop making it. For the love of all that is right in the world, do not (I say, DO NOT) make this salad with shitty supermarket tomatoes. I’m angry just thinking about you doing that.
Panzanella
loaf of rustic bread (ciabatta, boule, sourdough)
mess of really good tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
bunch of basil
olive oil
red wine vinegar (or white balsamic, if you prefer)
garlic
salt and pepper (as always)
Cube the bread, toss with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and toast at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (until golden and super crunchy). Toss with really good tomatoes (and any accumulated juices), mozzarella, and basil. Then grab the olive oil with one hand and the vinegar bottle with the other. Disperse vigorously over the salad until fully doused. How vigorously, you ask? This vigorously.
As may have discerned, I like to keep my recipes fairly simple, but you can add a bunch of other stuff to this recipe, too. Such as: grilled vegetables, arugula, red onion, and shrimp. And you can even make a fall/winter version with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. Of course, now that we live in eternal summer, this will probably never happen.
