Ingredients for 4 people

  • 1/2 ciabatta bread
  • 1 (preferably red) medium-sized or 1 big onion
  • 4 ripe tomatoes (they can also be replaced or mixed with cherries tomatoes)
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • a cup of pitted green olives Olives&More
  • a cup of chopped mozzarella cheese
  • a bunch of basil
  • 3 cloves of minced garlic
  • a drop of Italian Dip-Oil from Oils&More
  • a few rocket leaves (optional)

Panzanella is a very tasty and refreshing typical salad from the Tuscany. Its main ingredients are bread, tomato, red onion and basil. The bread used is called “sciocco ” and it is characterized by ist crispy crust, its spongy inside and above all, because it has no salt (it can be replaced by a rustic bread).

Method

  1. Cut the bread into slices, place it on a baking tray and season it with a Little bit of the Italian Dip-Oil from Oils&More. Bake it for 10 minutes on a medium heat and let it cool down. Instead of “sciocco”, I used ciabatta bread and I cut it into cubes.
  2. Chop the tomatoes. They must be red and ripe, although I have preffered to use the cherrie ones, because they have got a sweeter taste and they are also more comfortable adn easier to use: For making the bread softer, you can leave them chopped for a longer time without worrying about them.
  3. Cut the remaining ingredients: the basil, the onion, I personally prefer the red ones, because they are more crispy, but other people prefer other varieties which don’t give such a spicy touch to the dish.
  4. Mix the ingredients. Although it is not usual, I have added a few rocket leaves. Lastly, add carefully the bread and mozzarella.
  5. And now the easy part: the dressing – just add a drop of Italian Dip-Oil from Oils&More (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 100% Arbequina variety with salt of Sicily and 6 spices) and a touch of balsamic vinegar.