The Last of The Tomatoes and A Panzanella Salad

The rain has been coming down the last few days in fits and spurts. Heavy winds bring the waves crashing against the rocks while the birds huddle together on the beach. It is clearly fall on the coast and this is a post about the last of the season Heirloom tomatoes. The varieties I used for this dish are the Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra and Golden-Yellow Galinas. I adapted the recipe from "Giada De Laurentiis" @the Food Network.com,only making a few slight changes in ingredients and in preparation methods. For example I roasted my bread in the oven, Giada grilled hers and so on.

Panzanella is really a Italian salad made of tomatoes and stale bread that is popular in the summertime when tomatoes are their best.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup drained capers
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
12 ounces ciabatta (I used sourdough boule)
2 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
9 ripe tomatoes
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/4 red onion (sliced very thin)
1/2 cup basil leaves (sliced)
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare:

Soak the capers in 2 tablespoons of the red wine vinegar for 10 minutes. Drain.

Cut bread into 1 inch squares, toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, roast in oven until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside. Cut tomatoes in half, scoop out seeds and cut again until tomatoes are about the same size as the bread, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of olive oil,1/4 cup of vinegar, and garlic. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes, onions, basil and capers to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for flavors to blend at least 1 hour. Enjoy!