Summer Salad with Croutons (Panzanella)
Quick Recipes Simple Recipes Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Recipes Italian Vegetables Salads
Now, as summer is ending, I took advantage of the last garden tomatoes to make a salad to remember until next year. Panzanella is a salad invented by Italians to use old bread, so they prepared seasonal salads with homemade croutons. The croutons are delicious, crispy and taste of olive oil, and when added to salads they absorb the juice from the vegetables.
I prepared a summer salad, based on tomatoes, but it can be prepared in any season, with whatever vegetables you have on hand plus these wonderful croutons. And to make it one hundred percent an Italian salad, use mozzarella instead of sheep's cheese, I received mine from Radu's grandmother and it's better than any store-bought cheese. And if you can't find tomatoes in such beautiful colors you can add peppers of different colors.
Ingredients
4 tomatoes (different types: yellow, red, pink)
150g cherry tomatoes
3 cucumbers
1/2 red onion
3 slices of bread (1-2 days old)
a few basil leaves
3 tablespoons sheep's milk cheese
salt, pepper
olive oil
Servings: 2
How to prepare summer salad with croutons (panzanella)
- Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into pieces. Leave the cherry tomatoes whole. Cut the onion into thin slices. Chop a few basil leaves. Cut the bread slices into 2cm x 2cm cubes.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add the bread cubes and season with salt and pepper. Pour 2 more tablespoons of oil over them so they're well covered. Fry over high heat for a few minutes, stirring until crispy and golden.
- In a bowl, mix the vegetables seasoned with salt, the chopped basil and a little olive oil, then add the croutons and crumble the cheese on top. Mix gently.
- Decorate with basil leaves.
The vegetables
Summer Salad with Croutons (Panzanella)
