Pasta and pizza are perhaps the two most popular dishes in Italian cuisine. However, Italian salads are no less tasty and varied. Some of them are so easy to prepare that even children seven or eight years old can handle them.
Many Italian salads are based on tomatoes, herbs and various Mediterranean spices. Some also add seafood, pasta and local traditional cheeses.
Panzanella salad
Old Italian salad with toasted bread and large ripe tomatoes. Every Italian family has its own version of Panzanella salad. The classic recipe includes:
- 500 g of slightly stale Ciabatta bread;
- 5 large tomatoes;
- 1 red onion;
- 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin olive oil;
- a couple of sprigs of basil;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- balsamic vinegar (can be substituted with red wine vinegar if desired);
- a pinch of salt.
In addition to the main ingredients, Panzanella salad recipes sometimes also include anchovies, capers, carrots, garlic, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, olives or pitted olives. If you don't have fresh basil, you can use almost any traditional Italian herb, fresh or dried, instead.
In winter, Panzanella salad can be made from large cherry tomatoes, and instead of the traditional Italian Ciabatta bread, you can also use almost any slightly stale bread with a crispy crust and tender, large-porous flesh in the recipe.
Cooking process:
- Cut the slightly stale bread into small pieces about 5 cm in size.
- Place the bread in cold water and let it soak for about 5 minutes.
- After the indicated time, remove the bread from the water and squeeze lightly with your fingers. Sprinkle slices of softened bread with olive oil and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dry the bread in the oven for no more than 5 minutes at a temperature of about 220 ° C. Gently crumble the slightly dried bread into smaller pieces and place in a large, capacious dish.
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges and the red onions into thin rings.
- Tear the basil with your hands or chop it coarsely.
- Mix all prepared ingredients well, add a little salt, ground black pepper and season with olive oil.
Before serving, Panzanella salad should be kept in a cool place for about 30-40 minutes.
Peasant salad with cheese
A very easy-to-prepare Italian salad made from three different types of cheese. To make Peasant Cheese Salad, you will need the following ingredients:
- 5 slices of lightly stale white bread
- 4-5 ripe tomatoes;
- 2-3 sun-dried tomatoes;
- 4-5 fresh cucumbers;
- 70 g mozzarella;
- 70 g brie cheese;
- 70 g of gorgonzola cheese;
- 3-4 sprigs of basil;
- a handful of pitted olives;
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
- 30 ml red wine vinegar;
- a couple of lettuce, root and spinach leaves;
- a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cooking process:
- Sprinkle the diced bread with olive oil and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake at about 190 ° C for five to seven minutes.
- Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into small cubes.
- Combine olive oil with vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cut the brie cheese into small cubes. Divide the mozzarella and gorgonzola into small slices.
- Coarsely chop the washed greens, after removing the stems from the spinach and basil.
- In a deep bowl, mix all prepared ingredients and pour olive oil over the salad. Add some red wine vinegar and mix well again. Garnish the prepared salad with basil leaves.
Peasant salad with cheese can be served immediately after cooking. Best of all, Peasant salad with cheese goes well with young Italian Chianti wine.
