Panzanella (Bread Salad)

Ingredients
1 pound loaf bread, something crusty that won’t get mushy (I used “Como” bread from my local Safeway)
3 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
14 ¹⁄₂ ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
6 ounces olive oil
3 ounces red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  While it’s heating cut bread into 1-inch cubes.  Spread cubes out on rimmed baking sheet and place in oven.  Toast for 10-20 minutes until slightly crispy but not hard.  Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet.  

2. Meanwhile, prepare remaining ingredients.  Place tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and chickpeas in a large bowl and toss.  Add basil and oregano and stir to combine.  

3. Using a whisk or an immersion blender combine oil and vinegar.  If using an immersion blender blend the garlic as well.  Otherwise, mince the garlic and whisk it into the dressing.  

4. Add bread to bowl and toss to combine.  Add the dressing and stir well to coat the bread and vegetables.  Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!  

Comments
Panzanella is one of those things that I’ve always been interested in trying but haven’t ever gotten around to.  I’ve been seeing quite a few recipes cropping up in various places online, so I figured that I’d give it a go.  I’m not entirely sure that red wine vinegar was the correct choice, I might use balsamic next time or a mixture of the two. Red wine vinegar is definitely the right choice.

This was amazing.  The bread held up really well and it was even better after sitting in the fridge for 3-4 hours.  The bread held up even after 8 hours in the fridge, which is when I took this picture.  Yum!

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