Panzanella!

. . .is not Godzilla's Italian cousin.  It's a salad born of the need or desire to use up every scrap of leftover bread, and it's only really delicious during the summer, when you can use fresh tomatoes, sweet red onions, and fresh basil.

Take some day-old bread, like a ciabatta or a baguette, and tear it into bite-sized pieces. I had leftover ciabatta from my BLT project.  If it's really dried out or hard to chew, you can soak the pieces for a couple of minutes in water to soften them and then squeeze out the excess liquid.

Add an amount of diced tomato equal to the amount of torn up bread and mix it with the basil, torn into pieces.  Add the onion, finely diced.  You can also add some garlic - but remember, it's going to be raw, so go easy.  Add salt and pepper to taste, along with the best olive oil you have - about 2-3 turns of the bowl's worth.  Then cover it, walk away and leave it on the counter (refrigerating tomatoes really messes them up!) for 30 minutes - 12 hours, stirring occasionally to mix the juices and olive oil.

You could also stir in some chopped anchovies, or fresh mozarella -- or serve with some good Italian sausage for a complete meal.

Until next time, I'll see you at the market!