The Story and Recipe of Panzanella

Definitely now summer has finally arrived, Panzanella is on the menu at many houses here in Florence. I enjoyed this fresh Tuscan bread salad a few nights ago with delight.

Panzanella born on the fields of Tuscany grown with passion. Living a hard life, the farmers produced this amazing and fresh salad from the ground. When they were working during the summer, they would arise from sleep at around 3 am and then by 4 am be out in the fields harvesting the crops. As 8 am came around, the sun starting to warm the earth, they came in for breakfast. Bringing the necessary ingredients from the garden:

basil leaves
cucumbers
tomatoes
red onions

Soaking the day old bread in water so it is easy to break apart. Then mixing all the ingredients together, tossing with olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. How easy is that? By the time 11am struck, the farmers were back home having seconds of the Panzanella from the morning break.

Panzanella recipe:

Day old Tuscan bread
2 Tomatoes
1 Cucumber
1 Red Onion
15 leaves of Basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Ground Pepper
Salt

First you soak the bread in a bowl of cold water until the bread has absorbed the water. Then chop the tomatoes, red onions, and place in a bowl. Peal the cucumber and chop. Add to bowl with tomatoes and red onions. When the bread has soaked up the water, remove from bread and squeeze out the water into the sink and crumble into pieces and place in a new bowl. Then add the bread to the tomatoes, red onions, and cucumber. Season with salt and pepper, olive oil and vinegar. Add more olive oil to make the bread more manageable to toss until completely mixed.

Photo of homemade panzanella originally posted by fugzu

Topic:  Restaurants & Food | 1 Comment
Tags:  Florence, food, Tuscany

About the author

Katie has a true obsession with Italy and she has lived in Florence on and off for the past 5 years. She has been a tourist, vacationer, student, and an au pair. All of these experiences have made her into the person she is today. This is a place she documents her life with her own thoughts and audacious lifestyle: http://www.katerinafiore.com