Description
The key to this panzanella is frying the bread cubes in loads of olive oil in a skillet, which obviously makes them crispy. But the healthful fat also soaks into the bread cubes and renders them semi-waterproof, or dressing-proof. The same goes for the dusting of Parmesan cheese applied halfway through the crisping process.
Ingredients
- 2 cups 1/2-inch stale bread cubes, or more to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil, or to taste
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste
- 1 pinch white sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced, or more to taste
Instructions
- Pour bread into a large skillet and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil
- working in batches if necessary. Cook and stir bread over medium heat
- adding more oil as needed
- until bread cubes are golden and crispy on the outside
- 7 to 12 minutes.
- Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of the bread cubes; cook and stir until cheese is melted onto bread
- and bread is crispy on the outside but still chewy on the inside
- 3 to 4 minutes more. Cool completely.
- Combine tomatoes
- red wine vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic
- sugar
- salt
- and black pepper together in a bowl until well-mixed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until flavors combine
- about 20 minutes.
- Toss basil into tomato mixture; add bread cubes and stir. Let salad sit at room temperature 3 to 4 minutes; if the liquid is completely absorbed
- add more vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Season with salt and black pepper.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hr
Servings: 2