Panzanella

With tomatoes and cucumbers coming out of the garden I can finally make one of my all time favorite salads, panzanella. This is a bread salad from Italy. It is so bright and refreshing is screams of summer. Now often the problem with something like panzanella is that the bread soggy when the water given off by the tomatoes and cucumbers gets on the bread. They don't give off a ton of water until seasoned.
This problem is solved two ways. One eat it right away. Which I high recommend and you will wan to anyway because it is so yummy and two I make the dressing using the tomato water from tomatoes so you get double the tomato flavor and less sogginess. Always good.

Panzanella

6 cups rustic Italian loaf, in 1 inch cubes

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 1/2 lrg tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

1/4 tsp kosher salt

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp pepper

1 cucumber, seeded and sliced thin

1/4 cup basil, chiffinade

1 shallot, thinly sliced

        1. Toss the bread with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Toast on a sheet pan at 400 for 15-20 minutes until toasted.

Place the chopped tomatoes in a strainer over a bowl and toss with salt. Let drain 10 minutes. Save the liquid.

2. To the drained tomato juice add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and pepper. Whisk together.

Toss bread with the dressing and let sit 10 minutes.

3. Toss bread with remaining tomatoes, cucumber, basil and shallot.