Recipe from Italopunk by Vanja van der Leeden
I’m sure I’ll drive Italians nuts with this panzanella variation, but even within Italy, there are lusty variations on this culinary theme. In Sicily, for example, they mix fried eggplant in their panzanella, and on the Tuscan coast, they eat bread salad with seafood. I’m writing this to cover myself. Afraid of the rotten tomatoes coming my way from Italy in response to this panzanella with mango, lime, and a drizzle of fish sauce. But when you consider that the Romans embraced garum (a fish sauce from the 5th century BCE) and mangoes now grow on Sicily, it’s not so crazy. Besides, many tomatoes are not as sweet as Italian ones, so the mango lends them a hand.
1 ¾ pound (800 g) ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
Sea salt
½ red onion, cut into thin rings
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
2 celery stalks
4 snack cucumbers (about 6 ¼ oz), sliced
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into cubes or strips
¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons fish sauce
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
One (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
Pinch chili flakes
2 thick slices stale bread (I use sourdough)
Few sprigs Thai basil Leaves
Place the tomatoes in a large bowl, and sprinkle with salt.
Mix the vinegar with 1 tablespoon of water and spoon over the onion rings in a large bowl to soak.
Remove the outer strings from the celery and cut the stalks into very thin slices. Bruise the cucumbers with a mortar and pestle, so the dressing can creep in, and add them and the mangos to the bowl with the tomatoes.
In a separate bowl, mix the lime juice with the honey, fish sauce, and 6 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grate the ginger and add it to the bowl along with the chili flakes. Mix well and then pour it over the tomato mixture. Stir well and rest for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
Tear the bread into coarse pieces, toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes to make croutons.
Divide the tomato mixture among four plates. Divide the onion rings and croutons on top, and garnish with a generous amount of Thai basil.
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