Panzanella with Cucumber & Bell Pepper

Ingredients

• 1 lb ripe tomatoes, in chunks — panzanella is a tomato-quality referendum
• ½ loaf day-old crusty bread, torn into chunks
• 1 cup Cucumber, chopped
• 1 Bell Pepper, sliced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup olive oil + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Big handful basil, torn
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• Fresh mozzarella (optional)

Method

1. Toast the bread chunks in a 375°F oven (or a dry skillet) until golden and dry, 8–10 minutes, then rub a few pieces with the cut garlic while warm.
2. Salt the tomato chunks in a big bowl and let them sit 10 minutes — the salt pulls out their juices, and that juice is the dressing's backbone. Waste nothing.
3. Whisk the oil and vinegar straight into the tomato juices at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Add the bread, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, and onion, and toss well. Rest 15 minutes: the bread should soften at the edges but keep a little chew in the middle — the panzanella sweet spot.
5. Fold in the basil (and mozzarella if using), taste for salt and acid, and serve at room temperature — never cold; cold mutes tomatoes.