Panzanella

Cooking Instructions

1. Mash the garlic, anchovies, and capers to a pulp, using the back of a spoon against the side of a bowl, or a mortar and pestle, or the food processor.

2. Scrape away any part of the pulpy core of the sweet pepper together with the seeds, and dice the pepper into 1/4-inch pieces. Put the pepper and the garlic and anchovy mixture in a serving bowl, add salt, olive oil, and vinegar, and toss thoroughly.

3. Put the bread squares together with any crumbs from the trimming in a small bowl. Puree 1 of the tomatoes through a food mill over the bread. Toss and let it steep, together with a little salt, for 15 minutes or more.

4. Skin the other 2 tomatoes, using a swiveling-blade peeler, and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces, picking out some of the seeds if there are too many of them. Add the soaked bread squares and the cut-up tomato to the serving bowl, together with the diced cucumber, the soaked and drained onion slices, and several grindings of black pepper. Toss thoroughly, taste and correct for seasoning, and serve.

For the onion: Peel the onion, slice it into very thin rings, put it in a bowl, and cover amply with cold water. Squeeze the rings in your hand for 2 or 3 seconds, closing your hand tightly and letting go for seven to eight times. The acid you squeeze out of the onion will make the water slightly milky. Retrieve the onion rings with a colander scoop or strainer, pour the water out of the bowl, put fresh water in. Put the onion back into the bowl and repeat the above procedure 2 or 3 more times. After squeezing the onion for the last time, change the water again and put the onion in to soak. Drain and replace with a fresh change of water every 10 minutes, until you are ready to make the salad. Before putting the onion into the salad bowl, gather it tightly in a towel and squeeze out all the moisture you can.