Emily Rookwood offers her recipe for warm panzanella, with a little twist on the versatile rustic Italian bread salad. Perfect for a summer lunch or barbecue
Emily Rookwood offers her recipe for warm panzanella, with a little twist on the versatile rustic Italian bread salad. Perfect for a summer lunch or barbecue
1 small loaf of bread that has gone a little dry, cut or ripped into large chunks
1 small cucumber, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 anchovy fillets
3 very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
A good glug (around 4-5 tablespoons) of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A little caster sugar (to taste)
Good handful of basil leaves, ripped
Salt and pepper
Gently warm a little olive oil in the pan, add the anchovy fillets, chopped garlic and half the onion and tomato in the pan. After a few minutes, take off the heat and allow to cool a little.
Put the cucumber, remaining onion and tomatoes in your serving bowl and add the bread. Toss together and season with salt (fleur de sel is preferable) and cracked black pepper.
Prepare the dressing in a separate bowl: mix the olive oil and balsamic with a little sugar then season to taste.
Finally, add the warm tomato mix to the bread and dress with as much of the dressing as you like – the salad should be well coated but not too soggy – mix with your hands and finally cover with ripped basil.
Any leftovers can be popped in the fridge and enjoyed the following day.
If you try this recipe, let us know what you think. You can also tweet photos of your panzanella @spearsmagazine
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