A recipe for holding onto wonder in the ordinary moments
Tuscany has many land-based culinary traditions. Turned out, they are quite resourceful cooks. Here, nothing goes to waste. They prefer using up every single ingredient at their disposal and stretching them to go as far as possible. Take panzanella, for example.
A traditional panzanella takes leftover Tuscan bread, torn into small-sized chunks and soaks in water just long enough to breathe life back into it. Then the bread is tossed with juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, sharp onions, basil and a very generous drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar.
It’s ridiculously simple to make. Which means the secret lies in the quality of the ingredients. Simplicity isn’t plain. It’s profound. A few ground rules:
Bread is the focus of the salad. It should be crisp around the edges and slightly soft in the middle. The tomatoes must be firm and perfectly ripe. So please, don't store your tomatoes in your fridge. Panzanella will taste the best in the summer, when the tomatoes are in season.
The best, and only, choice of olive oil is EVOO. Fresh, high-quality, with a mild-to-intense flavor. Panzanella can be served hot, cold, at room temp, right away or the next day. The longer the ingredients mingle, the deeper the flavors become. And whatever you do, finish with fresh basil leaves, never dried.
What I used ( feel free to adjust the exact quantities to your liking)
✦ Bread (enough for two persons and a little more. Always a little more)
✦ 3 or 4 ripe tomatoes (I used Roma tomatoes, but use whatever’s available)
✦ 1,5 cucumber
✦ 1 large red onion
arge bunch of fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
✦ Red wine vinegar
As you can see, I’ve taken a little detour (sorry, Tuscany). Using repurposed bread is a clever way to cut down on food waste but my version of panzanella swaps out the stale bread. I use fresh bread, toasting it in the oven with olive oil. The result? Bread cubes with a crispy-oily crunch that add a whole new texture to the salad.
How I made it
✦ First, I tore the bread into small chunks. Tearing rather than cutting is key for the right texture.
✦ I placed the chunks on the oven rack and drizzled them with a little olive oil. They should feel lightly coated, wet to the touch but not saturated. Then into the oven they went, until golden and crispy.
Meanwhile, I diced the onions, tomatoes, and cucumber.
✦ I transferred everything into a bowl and added a generous glug of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar.
✦ I let it sit in the fridge for about an hour so the bread could soak up the tomato juices while the cucumber and onions gently marinated in the vinegar.
✦ Finally, I picked some fresh basil leaves and tossed them in.
That's it! A Tuscan classic with a little twist of my own.
Your turn
We all learn cooking in our own way. From our mothers, our grandfathers, a holiday abroad or a happy accident at home. These moments shape your taste, the ingredients shape your style. But taste and style are not fixed; they move along with the rhythm of your life.
A meal is never just a meal. It’s a memory. A moment. Your moment. So don’t think of recipes as strict rules. Think of them as gentle directions, little suggestions along the way. A here-and-now moment. And it's entirely yours. Because nobody tastes what you taste. Play with food, dance in your kitchen and find your own taste.