Panzanella can be paired with a still, medium-bodied white wine, preferably from Tuscany, like a Vernaccia di S. Gimignano or Vermentino from the Tuscan Maremma.
Tuscan panzanella
Panzanella is an amazingly simple recycling recipe; its success is determined using seasonal, fresh and quality raw materials.
Chef Danilo Angè
Difficulty: easy
Method: 40
Chef Danilo Angè
Difficulty: easy
Method: 40
Method
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01 / Prepare the bread
Slice it
Place on an oven dish and moisten with water and 30 ml vinegar
Leave to rest for 15 minutes, turn over and leave for another 15 minutes
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02 / Prepare the onions
Peel them and cut them into very thin julienne strips
Put them in a bowl, cover with water and 30 ml vinegar
Let them marinate for about 30 minutes
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03 / Prepare the other vegetables
Peel the cucumbers, cut them into slices and then into cubes
Cut the tomatoes and celery into cubes
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04 / Assemble the panzanella
Drain the onions and put them in a large bowl
Add the bread, breaking it up with your hands
Add the diced cucumber, tomatoes and celery and the julienne-cut basil
Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper
Place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours
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05 / Prepare the garnish before serving
Heat the seed oil to smoking point
Dip the basil leaves in the oil and fry until crispy, about 1 minute
Drain on absorbent paper
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06 / Serving
Arrange the panzanella on serving plates
Guarnish with the crunchy basil leaves
Wine pairing
You can also prepare panzanella a couple of days in advance by storing it in the fridge.
Do not use fresh bread to avoid altering the consistency of the panzanella: it should be grainy, not sticky.
Do not over-soak the bread, it should have the right grainy consistency.
The onion should be marinated to soften it: if using it without soaking it in vinegar, the taste would be too pungent.
If you want to keep the panzanella, put it in the fridge for a couple of days.
If you have leftovers, you can make panzanella a complete dish by adding for example boiled eggs, meat or fish tartare or fresh cheese.
The original Tuscan recipe uses typical regional bread without salt.
In the typical Latium version, Genzano IGP bread is used.
You can use another quality of bread, but it is important that it is stale so that it can absorb the seasoning in the right way.
Panzanella is an amazingly simple recycling recipe; its success is determined using seasonal, fresh and quality raw materials.
Celery is not in the original recipe, but it is often used in Tuscany.
Choose ripe, juicy tomatoes; when you cut them, collect their water, and add it to the panzanella so it is even tastier.
You can replace the onion with fresh spring onions, in this case you do not need to marinate them in vinegar.
Prepare the panzanella the day before, or in the morning for the evening to ensure that all the ingredients blend and season the bread well.
Ingredients for 4 people
300 g ripe tomatoes
300 g of stale Tuscan bread
1 red onion
1 cucumber
80 g of celery
1 bunch of basil
200 ml circa of water
50 ml aged wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the garnishing
Some basil leaves
Peanut or sunflower seed oil
Wine pairing
Panzanella can be paired with a still, medium-bodied white wine, preferably from Tuscany, like a Vernaccia di S. Gimignano or Vermentino from the Tuscan Maremma.
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