Under My Panzanella, ella, ella, ella�

I�ve never been a big fan of panzanella salad. I love the flavors in the dish, but stale, soggy bread just isn�t something I crave. The sogginess is understandable, as this dish was invented as a way to ingest rock-hard bread, but now that we�re just making it for fun, and not to avoid starvation, we can tweak a few things for texture�s sake.

The key is frying the bread cubes in loads of olive oil, in a skillet, which obviously makes them crispy, but the healthful fat also soaks in and renders them semi-waterproof, or should I say dressing-proof. The same goes for the dusting of Parmesan we apply halfway through.

You may be tempted to save some work and bake them in the oven, but don�t. By using the pan, you get nice, crispy surfaces, but the very center of the crouton stays just a touch chewy. The oven tends to dry the bread out, and you don�t get the same texture.

The gorgeous pool of tomato juices, oil, and wine vinegar will still soak in, and soften the bread, but you�ll still get a little crunch in each bite. For me this makes all the difference in the world. I know adding things like peppers, onions, and cucumbers is quite common, but I think they simply get in the way.

Having said that, it�s your �little swamp,� which is what �Panzanella� translates to, so throw in what you like. Speaking of which, I�m not giving ingredient amounts. I�ll give a ratio, and maybe a recommendation or two, but this isn�t the kind of recipe where you should be washing measuring cups and spoons. Taste and adust, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients:

(I like equal parts bread cubes to tomato salad)

For the bread:

stale bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, soaked well with olive oil

enough finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano to cover bread

-- fry until crispy and browned

For the tomato salad:

cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of sugar
a little minced garlic

equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil, to dress generously (add enough to create a very �swampy� mixture)

freshly sliced basil