aha siena travels: 2009

7/27/2009

The Last Supper: PG PANZANELLA

The Panzanella is a traditional, old summertime Florentine dish, from the popular and poor tradition of florentine rednecks... perfect for a supper with "popone" (melon) & Tuscan ham.

Panzanella recipe:
Day old Tuscan bread
2 Tomatoes
1 Cucumber (at your leisure – I am allergic to watermelon and cucumber, you know, guys!)
1 Red Onion
15 leaves of Basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Ground Pepper
Salt

First you soak the Tuscan bread (the quality of the braed is very important: use only Tuscan bread) in a bowl of cold water until the bread has absorbed the water. Then chop the tomatoes, red onions, and place in a bowl. Peal the cucumber and chop. Add to bowl with tomatoes and red onions. When the bread has soaked up the water, remove from bread and squeeze out the water into the sink and crumble into pieces and place in a new bowl. Then add the bread to the tomatoes, red onions, and cucumber. Season with salt and pepper, Tuscan olive oil (only extra-virgin Tuscan olive oil, please!) and vinegar. Add basil and a little bit of more olive oil to make the bread more manageable to toss until completely mixed.