What to do with old bread? The answer is easy: Panzanella
This is a refreshing “antipasti”, traditionally served during summer time. It originates from Tuscany, Italy, and is a favourite found in almost all menus in the region.
The recipe of Panzanella dates back to the 1400′ and its recipe formally documented in 1500 in Florence. In those days of course without tomatoes: they arrived from the Americas years later and were initially used only as decoration plants.
At the time, it was a poor man’s dish. Back in the days farmers baked bread only once a week so bread naturally dryer out after a few days, Panzanella is how they reused it. Also, fisherman could easily store dried bread on their long fishing trips and also made Panzanella out of it…on the middle of the ocean.
What you need is the following:
- 400 gr dry bread
- 4 big tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- 1/2 cucumber (optional)
- basel
- Red vinegar
- Olive oil
- Salt
Cut the bread in pieces and let it soak in cold water for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile cut the tomatoes and take out seeds and liquids.
Peel the onions and cut it in small slices, do the same with the cuecumbers.
Take the bread out of the water and squeeze as much water out of it as possible with your hands, then scrub your hands (in a “washing your hands like gesture”) to brake-up the bread as much as possible and let it fall into a soup pan.
Mix everything together then add salt, olive oil and vinegar.
Take fresh basil leaves, tear them and add to the mix.
Mix everything gently and serve cold.
Buon appetito!
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