Description and peculiarities of the preparation of the dish. TOP 7 Panzanella recipes. How to serve salad to the table?
Panzanella is a traditional vegetable salad of Tuscany (region of Italy), which is popular in summer. Among the main ingredients are stale bread, amenable to special processing, olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, tomatoes, basil and red onions. The dish is included in the diet of athletes, pregnant women and people who want to burn unwanted calories.
Panzanella Cooking Tips
The prototype of the salad is mentioned for the first time in the 14th century in the book "The Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio. It had all the key ingredients except tomatoes. They began to be added only in the 16th century.
The dish was born in the kitchen of poor peasants who baked bread once a week, and tried to find a use for the stale remnants. Sometimes this salad was called "old man's food", because the rusks were so saturated with vegetable juice that it was not necessary to exert special efforts to chew them.
The classic recipe is to use unsalted, yeast-free bread. In Tuscany, it is called Pane sciocco.
There are several options for how to prepare bread:
- It is soaked for a certain time in wine vinegar, then squeezed and cut into large cubes (3 cm) into a salad.
- The bread is fried in olive oil. It is important here that it is stale and contains less moisture, otherwise it will quickly get soaked.
- Cut bread cubes are dried at a temperature of 150-160 degrees. Usually a quarter of an hour is enough. The surface of the bread will become crispy and the center will become firm.
To prevent the onion from interrupting everything with a pungent smell, cut it into rings and soak it for 15 minutes in cold water.
You can complement the taste and aroma characteristics of panzanella salad thanks to olives, cucumbers, shrimps, garlic, celery stalks, wine vinegar, mozzarella and purslane.
Panzanella's recipe is quite simple. It is important to adhere to the order in which the ingredients are added, cook as required, and cut only the required amount of vegetables. If these conditions are not met, you run the risk of getting an unappetizing salad, which will not even come close to giving the true spirit of Tuscany.
TOP 7 Panzanella recipes
The dish is prepared from affordable and simple products. The salad is striking in its taste and combination of ingredients. Try Italian panzanella for the holiday table - and make sure the salad is one of the first to eat.
Classic Panzanella Salad
You will spend a minimum of time and effort on the preparation of this dish, and most of the components are probably at hand.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 166 kcal.
- Servings - 3-4
- Cooking time - 30-40 minutes
Ingredients:
- White stale bread - 1/2 pc.
- Tomato - 2 pcs.
- Red bell pepper - 1 pc.
- Red onion - 1 pc.
- Wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- Olive oil - 50 ml
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Fresh Italian herbs - 10-14 g
- Pitted olives - 5 pcs.
- Garlic - 1 clove
Step by step preparation of the classic panzanella salad:
- Cut the bread into small cubes, sprinkle with olive oil and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Tomatoes are washed, cut in half, juice and seeds are squeezed into a separate container. The pulp is chopped into small slices.
- Italian herbs and olive oil are added to the juice. Salt at your own discretion.
- Dried bread cubes are soaked in a tomato mixture.
- Bell peppers and red onions are chopped into thin strips.
- Now proceed to the preparation of the dressing. In a bowl, combine 20-25 ml of olive oil, a pinch of Italian herbs, wine vinegar, finely chopped olives, garlic passed through a press, freshly ground black pepper and salt.
- After that, all components are thoroughly mixed.
Tuscan panzanella with dressing
Use whole grain breads as they add a zesty flavor to the dish. For convenience, it is advisable to use small and juicy tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes - 550 g
- Parsley - 1/4 bunch
- Red onion - 1 pc.
- Wine vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Extra Virgin olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Salt to taste
- Kalamata olives - 6 pcs.
- Arugula - 1 bunch
- Parmesan - 20 g
- Dry white bread - 150 g
Step by step preparation of Tuscan panzanella with dressing:
- Pieces of bread are placed in a blender bowl and crushed into crumbs. Then they are laid out on parchment paper and put to dry in an oven at 200 degrees. Take out the bread when it acquires a golden crust.
- 150 grams of tomatoes, parsley, garlic and red onions are washed, passed through a food processor. Wine vinegar, olive oil and salt are added to the chopped vegetables to taste.
- The remaining tomatoes are chopped into 4 pieces. Arugula is chopped, red onions are chopped, olives are cut lengthwise.
- All the ingredients of the salad, except for the dressing, are combined, mixed and salted. Parmesan is passed on top through a grater.
- You can decorate the panzanella with red onions and tomatoes, cut in half.
- The dressing is poured into a separate container and served along with the salad to the table. Then everyone adds the required amount to their serving.
Panzanella with anchovies
The Panzanella salad recipe below is distinguished by the presence of a variety of components that, at first glance, do not combine. However, the dish will certainly attract the attention of guests with its marine aroma and exquisite appearance.
Ingredients:
- Ciabatta - 3 pieces
- Olive oil - 7 tablespoons
- Tomatoes - 400 g
- Anchovy fillet - 1 pc.
- Red onion - 1/2 pc.
- Capers - 1 tablespoon
- Basil leaves - 3 branches
- Salt - at your own discretion
- Wine vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Step by step cooking panzanella with anchovies:
- First you need to prepare the oven and heat it up to 180 degrees. The ciabatta is cut into small cubes, drizzled with olive oil and baked for about 5 minutes.
- The tomatoes are washed and cut into small slices. Combine them with cooled bread, salt and let them soak in juice for 15 minutes.
- Anchovy fillet, peeled garlic clove, 6 tablespoons of olive oil and wine vinegar are passed through a blender.
- Cut the red onion into half rings, place it in a separate plate and pour over some of the dressing. Stir the ingredients and leave to marinate for 10-12 minutes.
- Over time, the ingredients are combined and poured over the remaining dressing.
- The basil leaves are finely chopped and sprinkled with capers on top.
- Check the panzanella for salt, pepper, stir and serve.
Panzanella with cucumbers
The fresh summer aroma of vegetable salad will give you true delight. Moreover, panzanella will saturate the body with a complex of vital vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients:
- Stale white bread - 2-3 slices
- Tomatoes - 6 pcs.
- Cucumber - 1 pc.
- Small red onion head - 1 pc.
- White wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- Olive oil - 1, 5-2 tbsp.
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Green basil - 10-15 g
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Step by step cooking panzanella with cucumbers:
- The crust of white bread is cut off, and the crumb is rubbed thoroughly with a clove of garlic.
- Then it is chopped into small cubes and dried on the grill until golden brown.
- Wash tomatoes and cucumbers. Cut vegetables into small pieces. Combine them with bread, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, salt, chopped basil and sprinkle with olive oil.
- Combine white wine vinegar with olive oil, let it brew for about 5 minutes and season with panzanella. The salad is stirred and placed in the refrigerator for half an hour before serving.
Panzanella with chicken
Due to the fact that chicken breast is included in this recipe, salad belongs to the main dishes. It is nutritious and low in calories at the same time.
Ingredients:
- French baguette - 1 pc.
- Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- Cherry tomatoes - 100 g
- Mozzarella cheese (balls) - 150 g
- Chicken breast - 200 g
- Basil - 1 bunch
- Balsamic glaze - to taste
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper - to taste
Step by step cooking panzanella with chicken:
- First of all, you need to preheat the oven to 200 degrees. The French baguette is cut lengthwise, greased with olive oil on all sides, chopped into cubes and baked for about 10 minutes.
- The chicken breast is washed, dried with paper towels, cut into small pieces and fried in an oiled and heated skillet.
- The cherry tomatoes are cut in two.
- Mozzarella is cut into small pieces.
- Now all the ingredients are mixed, salted, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, olive oil and balsamic glaze. Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves on top.
Panzanella by Jamie Oliver
This recipe was developed by the English restaurateur Jamie Oliver, who is famous for his special approach to cooking. He has made a huge contribution to promoting healthy eating and helping fight obesity. This salad is distinguished by a minimum amount of calories and a rich taste.
Ingredients:
- Ciabatta - 200 g
- Tomatoes - 600 g
- Cherry tomatoes - 250 g
- Sweet pepper - 1 pc.
- Red onion - 1 pc.
- Basil - 5-6 branches
- Red wine vinegar - 1.5 tbsp
- Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Olives - 10-12 pcs.
- Parmesan - 40 g
- Salt to taste
Jamie Oliver's Panzanella Steps:
- The oven is heated to 200 degrees. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the diced ciabatta. You need to bake for about 5-7 minutes, until a golden crust appears.
- Cut the peppers into strips and cut the tomatoes into 4 pieces.
- Basil leaves and red onions are chopped into thin rings.
- All ingredients are mixed, and 1/3 part is set aside. It is combined with wine vinegar, salt, peeled cloves of garlic, olive oil and whipped in a blender.
- The resulting dressing is watered with panzanella, olives and cherry tomatoes are aesthetically distributed. Sprinkle the salad with parmesan passed through a grater.
Panzanella with lettuce
It is important that the lettuce leaves are crispy and rich in flavor. They will give the panzanella a luxurious look.
Ingredients:
- Dry basil - 1 tsp
- Freshly ground black pepper - a pinch
- Green salad - 1 bunch
- Black bread - 1 piece
- Onions - 1/2 pc.
- Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
- Salt - a pinch
- Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- White wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- Dark balsamic vinegar - 1 tsp
- Garlic - 1 clove
Step by step cooking panzanella with lettuce:
- Black bread is grilled until golden brown.
- Tear the salad into small pieces with your hands.
- Cut the tomatoes into slices, chop the onion into thin half rings, chop the basil.
- All ingredients are mixed.
- Garlic passed through a press, olive oil and two types of vinegar are combined in a separate container. Stir until smooth.
- Sprinkle the panzanella with salt, freshly ground black pepper and pour over the dressing.
How to serve panzanella correctly?
Before serving vegetable salad to the table, you must keep it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. The vegetable juice will be absorbed into the stale bread, and the panzanella will become almost "dry". Moreover, the aroma of spices and tomatoes will begin to appear more distinctly.
The salad is transferred to a hemispherical deep plate and mixed again. It is usually served as a snack or a side dish for meat. Panzanella is in perfect harmony with white wine.
Panzanella video recipes
In the article, you familiarized yourself in detail with how to cook panzanella and beautifully present it to the table. Stick to the required amount of ingredients to make a quality salad. Check the quality and expiration date of the products. Keep in mind that Panzanella has a shelf life of 12 hours.
