Salads
Polytunnel panzanella
At its simplest, a traditional Italian panzanella is a way of turning stale bread into a salad by mixing it with tomatoes, vinegar, and oil. Any extra ingredients are open for debate. We’ve added some mini cucumbers and basil as they grown alongside our tomatoes in the polytunnels at the height of summer.
Cook's notes
This is a great dish to for a picnic. Simply mix the veg with the oil, vinegar and salt and take it with you. Tear in the bread and basil 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion - use ½
- 350g tomatoes
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 mini cucumbers
- 150g sourdough bread
- 20g basil
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Method
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Step 1
Peel and finely slice half the red onion. Cut the tomatoes into an interesting mix of wedges and slices.
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Step 2
Halve the cucumbers lengthways. Remove the soft, seedy cores with the tip of a teaspoon. Cut into angled slices. Removing the seeds from the cucumbers is an aesthetic and textural choice. Never waste them though - scoff them straight from the teaspoon as a chef’s perk. You can leave them in if you prefer.
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Step 3
Add the onion, tomatoes, and cucumbers to a mixing bowl with the vinegar and 3 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Gently mix and leave to macerate for at least 20 minutes. This allows the salt to draw liquid from the veg which in turn mixes with the oil and vinegar to create a dressing that the bread can soak up.
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Step 4
10 minutes before serving, tear the bread into rustic, bite-sized pieces and mix them into the bowl along with the roughly torn basil.
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Step 5
Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper, to taste.