Italian Panzanella Salad

Name: Italian Panzanella Salad
Ingredients: 800 g ripe tomatoes (a variety of types, if available); 400 g bell pepper (2 peppers of different colors); 200 g bread (ciabatta works best); 80 g red onion; 3 sprigs of basil; 4 tbsp olive oil; 1–2 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar; a pinch each of sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Summer is the perfect time to make the beloved Italian Panzanella salad — all you need are juicy, fragrant, in-season tomatoes, which are plentiful right now. The heart of this salad is tomatoes, onion, and chunks of toasted bread soaked in tomato juices, olive oil, and wine vinegar. The salad is very versatile, and you can add all kinds of vegetables. In my opinion, though, not every vegetable belongs here. You'll often see recipes online that call for cucumbers and celery, but I'm telling you — that's just not it. Those vegetables are too crunchy and simply don't belong. I added roasted bell pepper to mine, which is a perfect fit: roasted peppers are tender, soft, and slightly sweet. If you like, you can also add olives, capers, tuna, or mozzarella — though at that point it's no longer quite the classic. Still, don't go overboard with add-ins, because it's worth remembering that this started out as a peasant dish — nothing fancy, just juicy tomatoes, stale bread, and olive oil. The ingredient quantities below are for 6 servings.

Ingredients:

Serves 6:
800 g ripe tomatoes (a variety of types, if available)
400 g bell pepper (2 peppers of different colors)
200 g bread (ciabatta works best)
80 g red onion
3 sprigs of basil
Dressing:
4 tbsp olive oil
1–2 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
a pinch each of sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

How to cook Italian Panzanella salad

Place the peppers in a baking dish or on a sheet pan. Roast in an oven preheated to 220°C until the skin is charred and blackened, about 25–30 minutes. Immediately wrap the roasted peppers in plastic wrap, or transfer them to a bag and seal it. Let cool completely. Remove the peppers from the bag, peel off the skin, and scrape out the seeds. Slice into thin strips.

Tear the bread into small chunks and toast in the oven at 180°C for about 10–15 minutes.

Slice the onion into very thin quarter-rings.

Assemble the salad. Cut the tomatoes into chunks and place them in a large bowl.

Add the bell pepper, onion, and basil.

Add all the dressing ingredients and toss to combine.

Add the toasted bread and gently toss. If the bread is very dry and crunchy, let the salad sit for a few minutes so the bread can soak up the juices — or serve it right away if you prefer.