Greek Panzanella
I have been baking a lot of bread lately, which means I’ve ended up having bread leftovers which get tougher and tougher each day. But here’s the good news: there’s a lot of things you can do with old bread, and my absolute favourite is Panzanella.
Panzanella is a sort of salad that originated in Tuscany. It’s an ancient and modest dish that people who worked the fields would have for lunch: soaked stale bread mixed with seasonal veggies and olive oil. As a bonus, it’s also one of those dishes that only gets tastier after a few days in the fridge.
Originally this would be made with Tuscan bread, which has a very distinctive taste and texture due to the lack of salt. But if Tuscan bread is not available, I think the best alternative is white sourdough. You need a bread that has a strong, structured and chewy crumb and that won’t melt once you soak it in liquid.
I call this a Greek Panzanella as I have used the base ingredients and added a few extras to give it a Greek spin.
Never throw away old bread!
Ingredients
500g Tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 red onion
250g stale bread
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
Olive oil
1 handful of oregano
2 tbsp of Greek olives (or as many as you like!)
100g feta cheese
1 handful of capers (again, depending on taste)
Salt & Pepper
Cooking time & People
15min to make
2 hours rest in the fridge
Step by step
Thinly slice your onion and put it in a bowl with water and one tablespoon of vinegar. Make sure the water covers the onion completely and let it rest for a couple of hours. This will help get rid of the very strong and overpowering onion taste
Chop the tomatoes and get rid of the seeds (picture below). Some people like to keep the seeds, but if you intend to make a big batch and store it in the fridge for a few days, the seeds might make the whole Panzanella too wet causing the bread to “melt” after a while
Peel and slice the cucumber
Slice your bread and get rid of the crust. Place the slices in a tray laying flat. Prepare a solution of water with 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar and pour it over the bread. Don’t soak it completely but just enough to make it soft
When the bread becomes softer, squeeze it between your hands to get rid of the excess liquid. Roughly chop it and put it in a big bowl
Now it’s time to add all the remaining ingredients. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, the onion (after you got rid of the water-vinegar solution), olives, capers, oregano and crumbled feta
Mix everything, season to taste and add a generous amount of olive oil. Put the Panzanella in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before eating it
Tips & cheats
Not much to say here, I’d only suggest making sure you pick the right bread for it. White sourdough is chewier and has a strong crumb that will last even when soaked.
If you want to prepare the original Panzanella make the following changes: get rid of the feta, oregano, capers and olives and add in 10 to 15 basil leaves instead.
White wine vinegar is your ally as it will help you enhance the taste of your Panzanella. Don’t be afraid to add in some extra vinegar when seasoning.
Panzanella only uses the soft part of the bread, but don’t throw away the bread crusts! They’re perfect for making breadcrumbs.
