Panzanella with toasted bread and variable ingredients, changing according to the season. The toasted bread is actually a hard bread, somewhat like freselle. A typically summer dish from central southern Italy, still prepared at any time and for many occasions, even in November, actually, the panzanella is good and practical, quick and without cooking. Originally from Tuscany, it’s also a great idea to recycle stale bread, and it can be found in almost all regions of Italy, like Lazio and Umbria. But today I would like to talk about Neapolitan panzanella or rather from the province, a way to prepare a lunch when unexpected guests join the table. Bread in the countryside was made once a week or even once a month for practicality, and when needed, it was slightly passed under water and consumed like fresh bread.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 188.31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.26 (g) of which sugars 3.74 (g)
- Proteins 3.74 (g)
- Fat 10.08 (g) of which saturated 1.41 (g)of which unsaturated 2.31 (g)
- Fibers 3.48 (g)
- Sodium 516.84 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 165 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3.9 oz stale bread (from Campania)
- 10.6 oz tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 1.8 oz olives (mixed homemade)
- 2.1 oz eggplant (in oil)
- 1.8 oz olives (Sicilian crushed in oil)
- 3 fillets anchovies in salt
- 1 sprig basil
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- Bowl
Steps
Meanwhile, as I prepare the ingredients, the first thing I do is clean the onion, slice it, and leave it in cold water until ready to use. I wash the basil and the homemade olives in brine bought in Puglia in September.
My toasted bread (which in Campanian dialect means hard) doesn’t need to be soaked, the tomato juice will soften it, and actually, it’s crunchy and pleasant overall. I put the bread in the bowl and after cutting the tomatoes, I pour them over, then add the onion and both the Sicilian crushed olives in oil and the mixed homemade ones. I season with EVO oil and a little salt, obviously desalting the anchovies before adding them. Finish with a good handful of fresh basil.
I let the panzanella with toasted bread rest in the fridge, delicious to enjoy not only in warm months, but I assure you that even in November it is delightful.
