Bread salad (panzanella)

Panzanella is a great example of Italians not wasting anything. It’s a traditional Tuscan salad made with toasted stale bread, bursting with the freshness of tomato and basil. Guy Grossi shares his recipe.

Credit: Tammi Kwok

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 15 cm stale sourdough baguette, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 3 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• ½ red onion, finely sliced
• 1 handful of basil leaves
• 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, shredded
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Toast the bread in a 180°C oven until dry and lightly coloured. Leave to cool.
2. Combine the bread, tomato and onion in a bowl. Tear over the basil leaves and add the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar and toss thoroughly before serving.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.