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    Tuscan Tomato, Cucumber and Bread Salad

    August 26, 2009 by G. Stephen Jones 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Tuscan Tomato, Cucumber and Bread Salad

    Tuscan Bread Salad or Panzanella

    Tuscan Tomato, Cucumber & Bread Salad

    Right now I am into everything Tuscan, Italy because I just finished reading The Reluctant Tuscan (I will talk much more about this wonderful book in another post) and am now reading Frances Mayes' Under The Tuscan Sun, another delightful book about an American buying a home in Tuscany and the effect it has on them.

    My wife and I honeymooned in Tuscany years ago and I forgot just how beautiful the hill towns are and how different the lifestyle is compared to the United States. These two books describe in wonderful detail the everyday life of Tuscan families.

    After reading The Reluctant Tuscan and halfway through Under The Tuscan Sun I have a new understanding of my childhood experiences with my best friends from Italian decent.

    I spent a lot of teenage summer weekends at  Pasqual Benvenuto's home and never understood why they had these huge Sunday meals in the basement set up as a second kitchen with his family and their extended family.

    We would spend hours eating and talking and watching his family yell at each other, then hug and kiss. It looked bizarre to me then but now I understand it is just part of their culture.

    Food and the act of dining together is a huge aspect of the Italian lifestyle and now I want to learn everything I can about Tuscan cooking.

    Tuscan Tomato, Cucumber & Bread Salad

    Last night I had the opportunity to prepare this simple salad with fresh local ingredients that we always have on hand while vacationing in Avalon at the Jersey shore. I brought down some wonderful extra virgin olive oil given to us by a friend and some six year old Pedroni's Aceto Balsamico di Modena (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) but you can use a less expensive balsamic vinegar and have great results.

    Let me quote Frances Mayes as she describes how to simply put this salad together,

    "Panzanella, little swamp, is another tomato favorite, a salad of oil, vinegar, tomatoes, basil, cucumber, minced onion, and stale bread soaked in water and squeezed dry - a true invention from necessity. Since bread must be bought every day, Tuscan cooking makes good use of leftovers."

    At first I didn't think it would taste very good but--I mean, wet bread?!--but after dressing the salad and letting it sit for a while, the bread gave the salad a wonderful texture and absorbed some of the seasoning with the juices from the vegetables.

    It was amazing.  And it went great with a chilled bottle of Prosecco!

    Print Recipe

    Tuscan Tomato, Cucumber and Bread Salad

    Prep Time15 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 2 servings

    Ingredients

    For the Salad

    • 3 small tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ½ cucumber cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ½ medium onion diced
    • 1 handful basil washed and dried
    • ⅓ leftover baguette pulled or cut into bite-sized pieces
    • water for soaking
    • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    For the Dressing

    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Soak the bread in water until softened. Squeeze out as much excess water as you can.
    • Combine all the salad ingredients together in a bowl.
    • Whisk together the oil and vinegar. Season with just a bit of salt and pepper.
    • Toss the dressing with the salad. Let sit for a few minutes to let the bread soak up the flavors of the dressing and vegetables.

     

     

    « Jay's On Third in Stone Harbor, New Jersey
    Creamed Corn Recipe »

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenni

      August 26, 2009 at 7:31 pm

      I absolutely love panzanella--this one sounds like a real winner, RG 🙂

      Reply
    2. Linda Starr

      August 28, 2009 at 3:02 am

      Oh, that looks delicious and refreshing.

      Reply
    3. Lola

      August 29, 2009 at 12:25 am

      Ciao! Lovely to see panzanella loved all over the globe! I posted an article on Tuscan panzanella 2 months ago PANZANELLA Under the Tuscan Bun

      I love your blog!
      Ciao
      ~Lola

      Reply
    4. Milena

      August 01, 2010 at 10:08 am

      Love this recipe,love Italy,love my Italian...
      You may also enjoy reading 1000 days in Venice and 1000 days in Tuscany...

      Thanks Milena, I'll look for them. Thanks for the suggestions - RG

      Reply

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