Body&More @ Auburn Pub

Posted on: April 5, 2010

Bad Bread or Good Croutons?

Don’t cry over stale bread – it’s the start of something big

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

When it comes to bread, stale is a virtue.

Keep a loaf for a day or two and it loses its resilience. When you take a bite the bread doesn’t snap back at you. It’s firm and sturdy.

The lunchtime ham-and-cheese holder is transformed into a gutsy, robust culinary ingredient for a wealth of cooking.

For example, bring a crunchy finish to macaroni and cheese by topping it with a sprinkling of coarse breadcrumbs mixed with a little Parmesan cheese. Coat chicken breasts with sourdough breadcrumbs and grill them to a toasted finish. Press shredded sharp cheddar cheese on thin slices of old bread and run them under the broiler to melt. Float the homemade cheese crackers on a serving of tomato or minestrone soup.

Take inspiration from Italians who turned stale bread into a delicacy.

Panzanella, a specialty in Tuscany, is an entrée salad of stale bread softened with water and tossed with tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, oil and vinegar. Traditionally the salad calls for crusty, artisan bread, two to three days old.

When the bread can no longer be served with a meal, it’s turned into a “poor man’s dinner,” according to Marcella Hazan, the noted Italian food writer.

That’s the origin. But the combination of bread and vegetables can be as decadent as your imagination allows.

To start, grill the bread slices to infuse them with woodsy aroma and flavor. You can do this a day in advance, storing the bread, uncovered, at room temperature.

Then add meat, cheese or fish, according to your appetite and budget. Toss in canned salmon or anchovies, diced salami, chunks of Asiago cheese or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Once you start improvising, you’ll discover no end of mouthwatering possibilities inspired by the panzanella concept.

However, this means birds will have to look elsewhere for a meal.

Grilled Garlic Bread and Salami Salad

4 (1-inch) thick slices two-day-old rustic country bread

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

4 ounces Italian dry salami, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 scallions, trimmed and chopped

4 cups Romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite-size pieces

1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Mustard vinaigrette dressing (follows)

Rub both sides of bread with garlic. Lightly brush one side of each bread slice with oil. Place bread, oil-side up, on grate of preheated grill. Grill for 30 seconds or until bread is golden brown on bottom. Turn over and grill top side. Bread may also be broiled 3 inches from heat, allowing about 20 to 30 seconds per side. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove bread from heat. Cool and tear into bite-size pieces. Lightly sprinkle with water; don’t let it become soggy. Set aside.

Combine tomatoes, salami, scallions, lettuce and bell pepper in a large salad bowl. Add bread. Toss well. Sprinkle on cheese. Toss again. Add dressing just before serving and toss well.

Makes 4 entrée servings.

Note: For a vegetarian version of this salad, omit the salami and increase the cheese to 1/2 cup.

Mustard vinaigrette dressing:

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

11/2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Stir together vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Gradually stir in olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"