Bread salad, or panzanella, is a dish that’s never been that popular in this country. Panzanella originated in Tuscany, a region of Italy whose cuisine is noted for its thrifty and ingenious use of leftover bread. Tuscan leftover bread dishes also include pappa al’ pomodoro, a tomato soup thick with cubes of bread.
The first time I ever tried bread salad was at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, where it is served as an accompaniment to a cooked-to-order wood-oven-roasted chicken. The dish’s popularity (it has been a staple on the Zuni menu for 30 years) comes from its resemblance to a classic American favorite: the roast bird with stuffing.
Zuni’s bread salad is made with currants, pine nuts and scallions; I prefer to make mine with cherry tomatoes, capers, onions, mozzarella and whole parsley leaves — kind of like a tomato salad with croutons but with the proportions all out whack.
It’s important that you use the right bread for your bread salad: dense bread will make a dense salad. I like a bread with a light and airy crumb, like ciabatta or a sourdough French loaf like LaBrea’s.
Note: Freezing the bread for an hour makes it easier to cut into neat and even pieces.
John Broening cooks at Olivea restaurant in Denver.
Bread Salad
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
1 loaf ciabatta, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons plus 1/2cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed, stemmed and halved
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup parsley leaves, washed and dried
2 tablespoons capers
2 cups mozzarella boconcini
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Pinch chili flakes
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss the bread cubes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool.
In a large mixing bowl combined the toasted bread with the cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley leaves, capers and mozzarella. Toss with the remaining olive oil, the red wine vinegar, chili flakes and salt and pepper. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.
