RECIPE / RALPH SCHELLING

Panzanella Tuscan bread salad

Swiss chef and recipe writer extraordinaire Ralph Schelling shares a simple but scrummy take on a fresh Tuscan salad with some heft. The burrata topping is optional but thoroughly recommended.

• Ingredients: Serves 4 as a starter
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 chilli
• 300g day-old farmhouse bread
• 150ml best-quality olive oil
• 600g tomatoes
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1-2 tbspswhite balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
• 85gbasil
• 4 small burrata (optional)

• Method:
• 1. Preheat your oven to 170C.
• 2. Peel the onion and cut it into fine strips. Dice the garlic and chili. Cut or break the bread into large pieces and mix it with the onion, garlic, chili and half of the olive oil. Spread the mixture on a baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes or until it’s crisp.
• 3. Remove the onion, garlic and chilli and put them into a bowl. Turn off the oven but put the bread back in so it stays lukewarm.
• 4. Mix a third of the tomatoes with the salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice) and blitz them in a blender with the remaining olive oil to create a dressing.
• 5. Cut the remaining tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and mix them with the tomato dressing and the bread.
• 6. Season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh basil (chopped) and the remaining olive oil.
• 7. Serve with or without burrata.