Italian Bread Salad With Tomatoes and Basil

Posted by Correen in Recipes, Salads | 1 comment

Perfectly paired ingredients make this salad delicious to whip up any day of the night…especially in the summer when the tomatoes and basil are fresh, easy to pick up at your local market! Wouldn’t it be delicious with barbecued steak, chicken or shrimp?

Ingredients
1/2 pound coarse-textured country-style bread, 3-4 days old
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice
salt
5 medium ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 – 2 lbs), seeded and diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
5 tablespoons+ red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

Directions
Slice the bread into one inch slices. Sprinkle the sliced bread with 1/2 cup of water and let sit for two minutes. Carefully squeeze the bread until dry. Tear bread into rough 1 inch shapes and let rest on paper towels for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, place the cucumbers on another few sheets of paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let rest for 20 minutes. Place in a colander and rinse with cold water. Dry on paper towels.

In a bowl combine the cucumbers tomatoes and onions. Tear the basil into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the vegetables. Add the bread and toss carefully.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully toss with the vegetables and bread and set aside for 20 minutes. Place on a platter and serve. Serves 6

Recipe from Weir Cooking: Recipes from the Wine Country (page 93)
From the author…”Imagine a sandwich made with the sweetest tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden. Now tear up the bread, toss it with the tomatoes, basil, crisp cucumbers, red onions, and a red wine vinaigrette. What you have is panzanella, a summertime staple from Tuscany. It’s become a staple in my weekend wine-country home.”

♥

Image Credit: Tuscany Landscape Painting Print by JUDERM on Zazzle

♥