The Phaidon Nutri Blast - Panzanella

This healthy Tuscan salad, as featured in The Silver Spoon Classic, is a great dish to make while working from home

Feeling stuck inside? Then you’ll probably want some healthy, tasty food, that doesn’t take too long, or require too many hard-to-find ingredients, such as this hearty salad, which features in The Silver Spoon Classic.

Panzanella is a Tuscan peasant dish, and was once an easy, tasty way to use up leftover bread, though you can enrich your version, according to The Silver Spoon Classic, by adding “finely sliced raw onions and black olives.”

It only takes ten minutes to make. Ten minutes! Here’s what you need: 8 slices home-made or store-bought rustic white bread, crusts removed; 10–15 basil leaves, torn; extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling; 4 firm red, tomatoes, peeled and diced; salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tear the bread into pieces and soak in cold water for a few minutes, then squeeze out and put it into a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper, scatter over the basil, and drizzle with oil. Toss the bread with two forks so that it crumbles, then add the diced tomatoes.

 

The Silver Spoon Classic
The Silver Spoon Classic

For a more detailed version of this recipe, get a copy of The Silver Spoon Classic here; and if you’re thinking about growing your own basil or tomatoes, then take a look at Aaron Bertelsen’s new book, Growing Fruit & Vegetables in Pots.