PANZANELLA SALAD

Panzanella is a Tuscan and Umbrian chopped salad of soaked stale bread, onions and tomatoes that is popular in the summer.

Ingredients:

3-4 cups of rustic bred cut into 1-inch cubes
2 pounds of very ripe variety of tomatoes
½ cup of thinly sliced onion
2-4 garlic minced cloves
½ cup of sliced cucumber
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ cups of fresh basil or combination of herbs like oregano and thyme
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
   
2. Cut bread into cubes and place onto baking pan.
   
3. Drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of sea alt
   
4. Bake for 10-15 min until golden brown. Take out of the oven and let it cool.
   
5. Cut tomatoes into bite size pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add sliced cucumber, thinly sliced onions, minced garlic and herbs of your choice.
   
6. Add bread cubes and mix ingredients together.
   
7. Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and add to a bowl.
   
8. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes to 4 hours.
   
9. Before serving toss and mix more oil, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.