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Panzanella is a simple and practical dish: it starts with a base made of stale bread and then all the other ingredients are added to complete the dish. There are different versions, but the main purpose is to use stale bread. It comes from the ancient "cappon di galera" (and for this reason, it is also known on Elba as "Capponata"), where "Pan di munizione" or the hardtack provided to the Grand Duchy’s navy was used. The famous ones were produced in the Portoferraio Biscuit Factory (currently the location of the municipality), which were characterized by having 24 holes to help them dry out.
It is one of the main dishes of summer beach days and is always appreciated for its freshness and fragrance.
Difficulty: easy
Cost: low
Serves: 6 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Recommended Elban wine pairing: Elba Rosato D.O.C.
Ingredients
400 grams of stale bread, 300 g of salted tuna (tonnina), 12 anchovies, a bunch of fresh onions, 5/6 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, capers or olives to taste, a few leaves of marjoram and/or basil, extra virgin olive oil, pepper, salt, and chili pepper.
Preparation
The essential ingredient in panzanella is the lean salted tuna, called tonnina. Soak it for one or two hours and rinse it thoroughly to remove the salt. Naturally, the anchovies must also be washed and deboned before being cut into small pieces.
Now, prepare the bread: use only toasted bread (on Elba, some bakeries produce a bread specifically for making panzanella) and soak it, being careful not to leave it too long or it will lose its texture.
Place the soaked bread in a salad bowl without crumbling it too much and gradually add all the sliced and chopped ingredients: tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh onions. Mix well with tonnina and anchovies, capers or olives.
If needed, add a handful of chopped basil leaves, olive oil, a little pepper to taste, salt, and chili pepper according to your preference.
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