When you're puzzled about what to do with leftover bread that's getting stale, think panzanella.
This Italian bread salad pairs herbs and vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers with cubes of leftover bread. Panzanella is drizzled lightly with a vinaigrette.
The juices from the tomatoes and cucumber paired with the vinaigrette help moisten the bread enough to keep it somewhat crisp, but soft enough to eat. The vinaigrette can be as simple as a fruity olive oil mixed with mild white or red wine vinegar. Be sure to add a few pinches of sugar to the vinaigrette to tame the tang and also help bring out the flavor of the tomatoes. In today's recipes, the sugar is sprinkled directly on the tomatoes and allowed to sit for 15 minutes.
In addition to providing a use for bread that's getting stale, a panzanella is also a way to rescue not-so-pretty tomatoes.
And that's where heirloom tomatoes come in. Heirloom tomatoes are known for their odd names like Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter and Cherokee Purple. They're also know for not being particularly pretty.
Heirlooms sometimes have odd, gnarly or not-so-uniform like shapes. The area around the stem is sometimes sunken in, and the shoulders of the tomato are sometimes ribbed. Some shoulders also look as if they're pleated.
Panzanella salad should always consist of bread and tomatoes. After that, you can use whatever vegetables you have at hand. You can also add fresh herb leaves to the salad or chopped herbs to the vinaigrette. Just be sure to go easy on stronger herbs like rosemary and oregano or they'll overpower your salad.
