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things to do with stale bread | 
panzanella
This Italian bread-and-tomato salad is another clever way to recycle those stale bits of bread. The traditional recipe involves soaking the bread bits in water to rehydrate them; as water-logged bread isn't exactly my favorite thing in the world, I prefer this version, which moistens crisped croutons with tomato juice, oil and vinegar.

Like most Italian recipes, panzanella's success relies on having high-quality ingredients. So make sure that the bread is a good, crusty flavorful loaf and not some bland mass-market bread (which tastes pretty bad even when fresh, let's face it). Though panzanella is generally considered a summer salad, you can make this pretty much any time of year as long as you make sure to spring for the pricier, vine-ripened tomatoes. And if you're of the opinion that a salad requires greens, arugula makes a good addition to this mix.

3 cups stale crusty, peasant-style bread, white or whole-wheat
2 medium-sized, perfectly ripe tomatoes
¼ cup red onion, sliced thin
½ cup cucumber, sliced thin
1 fat clove garlic, lightly crushed
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
8 fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
handful of kalamata olives (optional)

Serves 2-3

1 De-stem the tomatoes, and halve them. Gently scoop out the smushy seedy guts and toss into a strainer. Swish the seeds around in the strainer to get out as much liquid as possible; toss the seeds and retain the juice. Cut the de-seeded tomatoes into wedges.
2 Cube the bread, or break it up by hand into ¾"-or so chunks. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, and sauté the garlic clove for a couple of minutes, until translucent and just beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oil and discard. Add the bread and toss it around quickly to coat. Sauté, stirring and tossing constantly, for a few minutes, until lightly crisped and golden.
3 Toss all the ingredients together in a big bowl, including the additional 2 Tbsp. olive oil and the tomato juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. Let it sit for about 30 minutes or so, to give all the ingredients time to mingle and meld. Enjoy.

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more things to do with stale bread:
bread pudding  | cinnamon french toast | baked french toast | upside down apple french toast

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