Tis' the season...for tomatoes, of course. Let us present the perfect summer salad: panzanella. (There's no better.) This Tuscan classic will light up any Christmas table with its bright colours and punchy flavours. It's perfect beside a Mustard Scotch Roast, served cold on a warm day.
Ingredients:
1/2 loaf of bread
500g ripe Truss tomatoes, roughly chopped
Mount Zero Pink Lake Salt
8 Ortiz Anchovies in oil, drained and chopped*
100ml of Mount Zero Organic Olive Oil
1/3 cup of Mount Zero Red Wine Vinegar
1 organic garlic clove, finely chopped
A punnet of mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp of caster sugar
2 capsicums of any colour, roughly chopped
2 tbsp handful small capers, drained and chopped
1/2 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
A bunch of fresh basil
Method:
Start by dry frying your capsicums until the skin is blistered and the capsicum is cooked through. Once cook, place in a bowl and cover with cling film until cool. You can then peel if you like but it’s not necessary. Set aside.
Roughly chop your ripe truss tomatoes and halve the mixed cherry tomatoes and pop in a bowl. Add the sugar and season with a little salt and pepper and toss to combine and set aside.
Now move on to your bread. If your bread is fresh, tear it into small bite-sized pieces and pop in a frying pan with a little oil and season. Toss to coat and cook over low-medium heat until crispy and set aside. If your bread is stale, you can skip this step and just tear it into bit-sized pieces.
Finely slice the red onion, roughly chop the capers and anchovies and crush the garlic clove. We are now ready to assemble.
Add the capsicum to the tomato, followed by the bread, pour over the olive oil and red wine vinegar and toss to combine. Add the onion, garlic, anchovies and capers and toss again. Finally, add plenty of fresh basil, toss to combine and taste for seasoning. The anchovy and capers should add plenty of salt so you may not need anymore, just add some cracked pepper.
Pile the salad high on a nice serving dish, top with a little more fresh basil and an extra lug of olive oil. Serve.
