Name: Tomato and Bread Salad with Red Onion
Yield: Makes 6 appetizer servings
Ingredients: 1/3 cup red wine vinegar; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 8 ounces stale Italian bread, cut into 2-inch pieces; 8 cups (about) cold water; 2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 5 cups); 1 small red onion, thinly sliced; 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn into bite-size pieces

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Tomato and Bread Salad with Red OnionBrian Leatart

(Panzanella)

In Tuscany, leftover bread is put to many uses: It stars in all kinds of recipes, from appetizers like crostini and fettunta (the Tuscan term for bruschetta) to soups like ribollita and pappa al pomodoro. Stale bread even appears in salads; this one is called panzanella, which comes from the word pantanella, meaning "little swamp." Although the name is unfortunate, it is appropriate: The chunks of bread are first soaked in water, then mixed with the rest of the salad, where they sop up the zesty vinaigrette.

There are several versions of panzanella, but no matter how the salad is made, the bread should be a few days old and coarse in texture. Sometimes wheat bread is used, but the salad is better with white.

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