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Chef John's Crispy Panzanella

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PREP TIME
10 min
COOKING TIME
10 min
TOTAL TIME
55 min
SERVINGS
2 servings
Italian
Chef John's Crispy Panzanella
Ingredients
  • 2 cups 1/2-inch stale bread cubes, or more to taste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste
  • 1 pinch white sugar
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced, or more to taste
Instructions
1
To prepare the bread, start by placing slices of bread into a large skillet. Next, carefully pour 1/4 cup of olive oil over the bread, making sure to coat it evenly.
2
Cook the bread in the skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding more oil as needed to maintain a golden and crispy exterior. This process should take anywhere from 7 to 12 minutes, depending on the desired level of crispiness.
3
Once the bread is cooked to perfection, sprinkle it with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Continue cooking and stirring until the cheese is fully melted and the bread has a crispy exterior, but still retains some chewiness on the inside. This step should take an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
4
Allow the bread mixture to cool completely, which may take around 10 to 15 minutes.
5
In a separate bowl, combine diced tomatoes, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined.
6
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.
7
Once the tomato mixture has had time to sit, add some chopped basil into it and stir until well combined.
8
Next, gently fold in the bread cubes that you prepared earlier. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed. If this happens, you can add more vinegar and olive oil to taste.
9
Finally, season the salad with salt and black pepper to complete it.