Saturday 4 August 2012

Tuscan Belly Dance!

Panzanella
Panzanella- Italian Bread, Tomato, Cucumber and Onion Salad



There are so many simple and simply wonderful dishes, that I often wonder, why people feel the need to over complicate and exaggerate what they are doing when it comes to cooking and eating. Take this salad made of stale, left-over bread and tomatoes for example- doesn't it just look amazing?

The only change I made to this salad as opposed to the original Florentine recipe, is that I toasted the bread first. It may be a poor man's dish but at the same time it is very healthy, delicious and fun! And it will fill you up for sure- hence the name, derived from the Italian word "pancia", or "tummy" :-)


It really doesn't come much easier than this! I simply took the bread- in this case I chose to use a whole-meal breakfast roll, toast it and tear it into pieces. Cut the other ingredients into bite-sized pieces- tomato, cucumber and fennel being the classic combination. Arrange on a dish or in a bowl with plenty of fresh basil leaves and a few rings of red onion. I seasoned with a little of my "Salt of the Earth" again and drizzled the salad lightly with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. A wonderful combination and a yummy treat made in next to no time from next to nothing! Those poor people in Tuscany sure know how to live!

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