L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I f you had to define I t a l i a n c u i s i n e w i t h o n e , s i n g l e a d j e c t i v e , w h a t w o u l d y o u c h o s e ? Personally, I'd go for "sim- p l e . " S i m p l i c i t y i s k e y i n many of our most famous recipes, just as attention to using quality ingredients is. But I think I'll stick to sim- plicity, today. Panzanella fits well in the "simple Italian recipes" category, because it's noth- ing more than a bread and tomato salad: it's humble, it's traditional, it's cheap and it's the best of our sum- mer's soul food. Filling, fla- v o r s o m e a n d s a t i s f y i n g , every bite has the colors and taste of summer, with fresh, juicy tomatoes and bread, t h e t a n g o f v i n e g a r , t h e c r u n c h o f o n i o n s , t h e refreshing, zesty aroma of basil. Panzanella is a quintes- s e n t i a l c u c i n a p o v e r a dish, too, as it was created not to waste stale bread: ini- tially, it seems, only onions a n d v i n e g a r w e r e a d d e d , w i t h t o m a t o e s b e c o m i n g part of the recipe only at a later stage. In fact, as we'll have to see below, tomatoes and onions are not the only vegetables that can make it into a good panzanella, a sign that, very likely, it was also a way not to waste a family's garden vegetables. Indeed, this idea could be supported by the existence of a n o t h e r f a m o u s c u c i n a povera Tuscan dish, ribol- lita, typical of the colder months: just like panzanella, ribollita makes use of sea- sonal vegetables and bread. Don't want to waste stale bread and all those good veg- etables? Think panzanella in summer and ribollita in win- ter, then. B e s i d e y o u r c h o i c e o f i n g r e d i e n t s ( f r e s h , g o o d quality, seasonal), the secret for a perfect panzanella is simple: softening the bread right by soaking it briefly in w a t e r o r i n a m i x t u r e o f water and vinegar in equal p a r t s , t h e n b r e a k i n g a n d mixing it with tomatoes, red onions, basil, extra virgin olive oil, salt and some more v i n e g a r . A s L a C u c i n a I t a l i a n a s a y s , i t ' s l i k e a deconstructed bruschetta, or a salad with loads of vine- gary croutons! Now that we know a tad more about panzanella's his- tory and tradition, let's delve into its ingredients because, of course, you can't make a good one with just every type of tomato or every kind of bread. The best tomatoes are definitely beefsteak toma- toes, but only if they are in season and not too ripe, oth- erwise go for plum tomatoes, which have the right level of acidity. The ones you should avoid are cherry tomatoes, which are a bit too tangy for this dish. Red onion is queen here and when we speak of red o n i o n , c i p o l l a r o s s a d i Tropea is the best you can get, as its sweetness and del- icate flavor makes it perfect to be eaten raw. Not every- one likes – or can digest – raw onions, though, in which case you can soak it sliced in water and vinegar for one hour to diminish its sharp- ness, as suggested again by La Cucina Italiana. And the bread? Well, if you ask a Tuscan, they'll tell you it has to be pane sciapo, the region's traditional salt- free loaf. If you can't find it, any kind of crusty, Italian style bread will do, just stay clear from rolls, sliced sand- wich bread or focaccia. As we s a i d , t h e b r e a d m u s t b e soaked in water and vinegar before being added to the salad: the step is essential, as it has to soften the dough, but without turning it into a m u s h . T h i s i s w h y s t a l e bread is perfect for it, but if you don't have it, just cube some fresh bread and stick in the oven to toast before soaking. L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , t h e vinegar: here, you should s t i c k t o t h e h i g h - q u a l i t y s t u f f , b u t n o t b a l s a m i c , please. If you can choose, pick something delicate and not too overpowering. Once you got your mitts o n t h e r i g h t i n g r e d i e n t s , preparing panzanella is very simple: soak the sliced bread in water, if it gets too soggy, don't be shy, just squeeze the excess liquid out, but gently. Then, cube it, put it into a salad bowl and add sliced tomatoes, onions, salt, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and, if you like it tangier, some extra vinegar. I t ' s e a s y , i t ' s t a s t y , i t ' s healthy, and it's cheap: what can you ask more from food? W e p r o p o s e h e r e t h e r e c i p e f r o m L a C u c i n a Italiana! As you can see, the b r e a d i s s o a k e d i n w a t e r only, but you can always try t o s o a k i t i n a w a t e r a n d vinegar mixture if you like. Ingredients (Serves 4) 500 gr (just over 2lbs) of f i r m b e e f s t e a k ( o r p l u m ) tomatoes 1 red onion 15 basil leaves 400 gr (2lbs) of Tuscan stale bread (or any Italian style bread – see above for suggestions) Extra virgin olive oil While the recipe is com- mon in various parts of cen- tral Italy, Tuscany is consid- e r e d i t s r e a l h o m e : m i n d though, because here pan- zanella – as it happens with a l l t r a d i t i o n a l , r e g i o n a l recipes – can change from village to village, or even from family to family. Some use basil, some don't; some think cucumber is a lovely addition, others consider it sacrilegious; some love green s a l a d i n i t , w h i l e o t h e r s won't stray from the bread, onions and tomato triad. The dish's history is little known. B o c c a c c i o men- tioned it in one of his works i n t h e 1 4 t h c e n t u r y , a n d apparently it was usual in Medici's times, when painter il Bronzino even dedicated a poem to it. So, while we don't know exactly when and where it was created, we can attest with a certain level of accuracy that it was already p o p u l a r i n R e n a i s s a n c e Tuscany. Linguistically, the name "panzanella" may have two different origins, with some believing it comes from the joining together of the words pane (bread) and zanella (dialectal form used for a tureen or a large bowl), hint- ing at its main ingredient and the dish where it was s e r v e d ; o t h e r s t h i n k i t derives from the word pan- z a n a , t h a t w a s o n c e s y n - onym with something soft and kind of soggy, just like the bread in the salad. White wine vinegar Salt to taste Pepper to taste O n e c u c u m b e r ( i f y o u like) C u t t h e b r e a d i n ½ i n thick slices and place them in a large dish. Soak them in 250 gr (1 cup) of water (or, alternatively, 125 gr – or ½ cup -- of water and 125 gr – ½ cup -- of white wine vine- gar) and let them rest for 40 to 45 minutes. Clean and slice thinly the onion, and place it in a bowl with 70 gr (1/3 cup) of water and 70 gr (1/3 cup) of vine- gar, then let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring them often. Drain. I f y o u w a n t t o a d d t h e cucumber, peel it, cut it in a half length-wise, then slice it very thin. Dice the tomatoes. Get back to the bread: if it's very soggy, squeeze the e x c e s s w a t e r o f f i t , t h e n break it into a large salad b o w l . A d d t h e d r a i n e d o n i o n s , t o m a t o e s ( a n d cucumber if you opted for it) and the basil leaves, which you can break into the salad simply with your hands. Let the panzanella rest in t h e f r i d g e f o r a b o u t o n e hour, then dress it with four tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 15 gr (1 tbsp) of white wine vinegar, a pinch of pepper and a pinch of salt (if you are using Tuscan bread, remem- ber it doesn't contain any salt, so you may like to add some extra). FRANCESCA BEZZONE A plate of fresh panzanella, a staple of Tuscany's summer cuisine (Photo: Olena Danileiko/Dreamstime) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES T u s c a n y ' s a n s w e r t o t h e h e a t ? Panzanella salad!

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