This panzanella salad recipe from Marc Matsumoto of No Recipes is more than a clever use of old bread and seasonal vegetables. The salt in the dressing draws out juices from the veggies and the crusty bread soaks it up resulting in a magical mouthful. See the full post at the Fresh Tastes Blog.
10 ounces very ripe tomatoes chopped (include any juices)
1 Japanese cucumber or 2 Lebanese cucumbers, chopped
2 tablespoons minced onion or shallot
¼ cup olives or capers, chopped
5 ounces stale crusty bread, torn into small pieces (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
10 leaves basil, hand-torn
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt (halve if using table salt)
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Stir a few times and when the oil is fragrant, add the bread. Toss to evenly coat the bread with oil, then fry over medium low heat until the bread is crunchy and has taken on some color. Salt and pepper to taste, then set aside to cool.
Put the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and olives in a large mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the vinegar, mustard and salt, then whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir until some juice has come out of the vegetables.
Add the bread to the vegetables and toss to combine. Let the salad sit for at least one hour to allow the flavors to absorb into the bread, stirring a few times to make sure the bread gets evenly soaked. Add the basil, stir to combine, then serve.
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