(Panzanella)
In Tuscany, leftover bread is put to many uses: It stars in all kinds of recipes, from appetizers like crostini and fettunta (the Tuscan term for bruschetta) to soups like ribollita and pappa al pomodoro. Stale bread even appears in salads; this one is called panzanella, which comes from the word pantanella, meaning "little swamp." Although the name is unfortunate, it is appropriate: The chunks of bread are first soaked in water, then mixed with the rest of the salad, where they sop up the zesty vinaigrette.
There are several versions of panzanella, but no matter how the salad is made, the bread should be a few days old and coarse in texture. Sometimes wheat bread is used, but the salad is better with white.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 6 appetizer servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Pour vinegar into small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Place bread in large bowl. Pour in enough cold water (about 8 cups) to cover bread. Soak 5 minutes. Drain well; squeeze bread to remove as much liquid as possible. Coarsely crumble bread into same bowl. Add tomatoes, onion and basil. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season salad generously with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before serving.)
