panzanella

well hello there sexy, I've missed you.

i missed your tomato, balsamic & olive oil soaked slightly toasted cubes of bread.

crisp cukes and oh so good & fragrant basil - tossed with a bit of salt i never want to be apart from you for the whole month of august.

quite frankly, you are at your best this month and this month alone.

oh panzanella, how i love you.

last week at the farmers market i came across the most beautiful black krim tomatoes and funky striped tomatoes from winni farm in meredith.  they were simply breathtaking.

peasant bread from the bread peddler at Saturdays market, basil & cukes from the garden provided me with the makings of my favorite summertime salad- panzanella.

there is nothing that i love better than fresh august tomatoes - add homemade bread and i am in heaven. the combination of simple fresh eats puts me on cloud nine.

it is hard for me to understand why anyone would want to eat any other way than this - unprocessed, fresh & flavorful equals a totally amazing foodie experience.

we celebrated my gram's 74th birthday last week - i am so grateful to have many of my close family members all within a stones throw of each other.  we all got together - aunts, uncles, cousins, great grand kids and great aunts to celebrate my grams special day - she deserves the best.

of course, panzanella was the dish i brought to share.

a good flaky salt brings out the intense flavor in all ready flavorful tomatoes.

good olive oil and balsamic tie everything together.

this salad is best enjoyed the day its made - so make it for your next potluck, BBQ or for a simple summertime  lunch.

Panzanella

serves 6 as a side or 2 as a main

you will need:

2 cups day old peasant bread, cubed and lightly toasted

1 large cucumber, peeled and cubed

2 - 3 tomatoes cubed

handful of basil torn into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup good quality olive oil

2 - 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp flaky sea salt

assembly:

cube bread and toast until lightly golden. transfer to a larger bowl and set aside.

peel and cube your cucumbers and add to the bowl - core and cube tomatoes adding to the bowl as you go. drizzle olive oil and balsamic over the cukes, tomatoes and bread- tossing all ingredients until well coated.

hand tear the basil into bite sized pieces, removing any large stems. toss to distribute basil- sprinkle with salt and toss again.

allow to sit for at least 10 minutes prior to serving - allow the tomatoes to release some of their juices which will be absorbed by the bread.

enjoy!

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