Stefania and Milena live in Fiesole and today they show us how to make two traditional and hugely popular bread and tomato recipes from Tuscany: “panzanella” and “pappa al pomodoro” which make the most of a stale loaf. In Tuscany they are unsalted.

Panzanella
1 unsalted bread loaf: it’s essential to use bread with a sturdy crumb. It doesn’t have to be sourdough but it has to be tough. If it’s salted bread, you may want to experiment with sprinkling water over the bread rather than soaking it – it will collapse much quicker if you do.
1 tropea onion
1 large cucumber
3-5 large tomatoes
handful of fresh basil
pepper
salt
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil (as much as you like)

Pappa al pomodoro
20ml extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste)
4 slices of stale unsalted bread
500ml tomato pulp or 500g chopped fresh tomatoes
salt
pepper
handful of basil leaves

Buon appetito!

21 Comments

  1. Another charming video! I think about all of the joy you bring to the families you film and the enjoyment you bring to your YouTube audience. Congratulations on your 1 million subscribers and may you soon have a million more.

  2. Vicky, I’ve never seen such a salad before and I’m delighted to see a something I’ve never seen or even imagine to taste. She mixed it with her hands, but i woulda ate it WITH my hands. I love that you bring us something new, delicious and traditional to us. This was A BONUS episode with TWO beautiful recipes! Love my grannies !

  3. I think Spaniards are the masters of stale bread recipes. Migas are delicious, also eaten in Portugal.

  4. We’ve been alternating between eating panzanella salad and dakos almost every day this summer, as we’ve gotten a bumper crop of tomatoes from my deck container garden this summer. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the tomato plants grew in containers. I love them both and can’t pick a favorite, but now I’ll have to make pappa al pomodoro to see if we love that simple dish as well. It looks delicious as well. Thanks for sharing the cooking of these two enchanting ladies.

  5. Vicky having the best job in the world, 😂. Can't imagine the face of the nonna if you ever don't test their recipe 😂

  6. Nothing goes to waste. Fresh vegetables, basil, garlic, strong olive oil and an experienced hand to make comfort food. Bravo!!! And congratulations on the one million subscriber milestone.

  7. I would add some small cubes of cheddar or something to the second one, near the end so they just get soft. Make it like a grilled cheese and tomato soup in one.

  8. I must be blessed, I'm 62 now but when I was small boy my My Mother used to make this every year when the garden Tomatitoes were at their best b😊

  9. Congrats on 1 million subscribers. Can you believe it? What an edifying milestone. May God continue to bless your channel and work.

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