Panzanella Salad

 

 

 

As the weather warms up, just the thing, this delicious Tuscan Salad. Easy to make and fresh and summery.Time to be out of doors and cooking things that are quick and easy.

 

 

 

Easy

Serves 2-4 Persons

Ingredients

2 summer tomatoes chopped into cubes

Half a large cucumber peeled and cubed

1 small onion

Ten large basil leaves or more!

1 Large home-meal rusk broken up

2 tabs capers

Small bunch of Purslane/ Glistrida, optional

 

Dressing

4 tbs Olive Oil

2 tbs wine vinegar

1 tbs ‘Dijon’ mustard

1 tsp salt or more

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small fresh chilli finely diced, seeds removed, optional

 

Method

1. Wash tomatoes and cut up into 1 cm cubes. I leave the skins on, but this is up to you.

2. Peel cucumber and cut into 1 cm cubes.

3. Peel and dice onions. Add capers, which you have previously rinsed.(Place in small sieve and rinse under the running tap.

4. Combine the above in suitable salad bowl.

5. Make up your dressing.

6. Just before serving, pour off any excess water from the tomatoes gathered in the bottom of your bowl. Break up your rusk into mouth sized pieces, with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the broken up rusk over the top of the salad.

7. Tear your basil leaves and place over salad.

8. Just before serving drizzle over dressing and toss salad well.

Eat straight away. The rusk should be still crunchy. ( If left it will go soft and not be so good!)

N.B. Tear basil leaves at the last minute, or they discolour. You can prepare this salad up to 1/2 hour before hand, but add rusk and dressing just before serving. Cover and reserve in refrigerator. When ready to serve, pour off any liquid from the tomatoes, which has accumulated in the bottom of your bowl. This is important, so that the water from the tomatoes, does not dilute the dressing.

***Dijon mustard is by far the best for making a salad dressing, as is always used in the French Vinaigrette. If you use another mustard, perhaps use less, as some mustards have a much stronger taste, this particularly applies to the Greek ‘Ekma’ mustard.

 

Chop tomatoes, peeled cucumber and onion into cubes of 1 cm. Add rinsed capers. Place in suitable salad bowl.

Make up your dressing, I add ‘Dijon’ mustard as it makes it more tasty.

Place whole-meal rusk in bowl……

Break up with wooden spoon handle, into mouth sized pieces.

When ready to serve,(not before or rusk softens), sprinkle broken up rusk over salad, together with torn basil leaves.

Drizzle dressing over the top of your salad.

Mix thoroughly.

Ready to eat!

Delicious.