Visiting Tuscany has been a dream for many years. I guess you could say it’s on my bucket list – and it’s not a very long list. In the meantime, I do tend to seek out all things Tuscan, especially in my cooking. This dish is panzanella – a summer salad from Tuscany made with stale bread and tomatoes.

Stale bread doesn’t happen very often at my house. Also since bread is the star of this dish, a tasty rustic bread should be used and it’s even less likely to be found going stale. I made two loaves of rosemary bread I believe to be a Macaroni Grill recipe. One loaf distracts the fellas in my house while I toast or grill the other in an effort to make it more stale-like.

I diced a handful of peperoncini (pickled light-green Italian peppers), a red pepper, 6 medium-sized tomatoes, a small red onion and a cucumber. I placed them in a bowl with about a tablespoon of capers and a cup of chopped Kalamata olives. I picked and chopped a handful each of parsley and basil and added them to the bowl. Then I cubed 8 oz. of fresh mozzarella. It is important to use the fresh; a hunk of processed mozzarella sold in a rectangular brick will not have the same taste or texture. Then cube about half the loaf of stale-like rosemary bread and toss it and everything else in the bowl together.

The dressing is simple. I used 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 2 garlic cloves smashed to a pulp (with the help of a little salt and the flat part of a knife) and 3 anchovy fillets. If you feel the need to go vegetarian, skip the anchovy fillets – but I don’t recommend it. Place those ingredients in a microwave-safe dish (like a Pyrex measuring cup) and microwave for 1 minute. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

Then smash the anchovies until they break up in the oil with the garlic. Add about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and then sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Whisk it all together, pour over the salad and toss.

The salad should stand for at least 15 minutes to let everything blend well together. It’s a light and easy dinner if you already have the tasty stale bread. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. When I take a bite and close my eyes, I feel like I’m in Tuscany.