Late Summer Celebrations: Panzanella
The weather is cooling suddenly. After three relentless months of summer heat, that is no bad thing! While I adore all the bounty of Summer, we are now coming into my favourite season but saying goodbye to the best of produce is never an easy thing!
Such conflicted feelings…
tl;dr — recipe at the bottom!
My favourite fruits of the Summer, at least in the heat of the southern latitudes, are heavy, bursting tomatoes. Rich is sweetness and savour all at once, there is something to be said for the humble tomato. Throughout the Mediterranean, we see countless riffs on the simple salads: rich in tomato and cucumber, dressed up in a few simple ways. I’ve been eating more than my fair share of these, so it goes without saying that a final celebratory blow-out is in order!
There are very few of these salads that can take on a beautiful Panzanella, however. So that is what it will be. Filled with the textural joys of softened croutons, crisp cucumbers and yielding, juicy tomatoes. Spiked with the sting of raw onion and pungent vinegar, this is a lunch for idle days—the kind of days that hot summers were made for…
Indeed, my iteration is a personal take; using what appeals to me. Homemade, dense and glutinous bread. Lightly pickled white cucumbers and a simple dressing of locally pressed sunflower oil and home-produced wine vinegar.
I started the vinegar in May when I discovered a mother growing in a bottle I had at home and it has grown very sour and fragrant in those months. Using the best ingredients is what makes this simple salad shine. I even cured the cucumbers in this vinegar with some garlic and dill. But the real power is in the bursting tomato!
These things feel like little water balloons, and when cut they drip with joyous ichor that can be used the wet the croutons. As my own bread was not so stale, I cut it into thin croutons and fried it to make it crisp and golden. Then the salad is easily assembled, just take the time to cut everything neatly and evenly, slicing the onion as thinly as possible shaping the components with care makes the result not only more beautiful but also keeps each bite well measured and even.
Just to showcase this (and the beautiful K Sabatier tomato knife I am using!) I fixed a quick video:
VIDEO
It’s really as simple as that, a Panzanella is a cheap and simple way to use up leftover bread and it makes a great final feast of the summer.
Panzanella Serves 2:
1/2 stale baguette (or similar bread)
1 large ripe tomato
1/2 medium onion
1/2 cucumber (optionally pickled)
Slug of good quality vinegar
Slug of good quality oil
Salt to taste
- Cut the baguette into croutons and fry until golden if needed
- Meanwhile, chop the vegetables into even pieces
- Cut onions into translucently thin slices
- Mix everything in a bowl and leave to marinate, at least 10 minutes
