The Best Panzanella

This panzanella recipe came about a few summers ago, when I tried five or six different versions. None of them were quite right. So I combined the best parts of all of them... Ripe tomatoes, slices of crunchy cucumber, smoky roasted capsicum, salty capers, and chunks of good bread with a dressing of vinegar, olive oil and tomato juice. It's a great way to get your veggies - fresh, flavourful and delicious. We don't really eat anything special for Easter, apart from chocolate, but this would make a good addition to an Easter meal.

The Best Panzanella

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Ingredients

6 large ripe tomatoes
2 large capsicums (or some roasted capsicum in a jar)
1 cucumber
200 ml olives
3 tbsp capers
a bunch of basil
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 loaf stale good-quality white bread (ca. 250 g)

Method

1. Put the tomatoes in a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Let sit for a few minutes, until the skins have loosened. Drain, peel, and core the tomatoes. Cut each tomato into quarters and squeeze the seeds and juice into a bowl. Put the seeds aside.

2. Roast the capsicums at high heat in the oven until blackened. Put in a bowl with a lid. Peel the cucumber. Quarter it and remove the seeds. Cut into slices. Peel the capsicums, remove the seeds, and tear into long strips.

3. Rinse the olives and capers. Slice the basil and mince the garlic. Mix the tomato seeds with the garlic, capers, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Cut the bread into chunks and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Let rest for at least half an hour.

Do you eat anything special for Easter?