California Summer Panzanella with Arbequina EVOO

California Summer Panzanella with Arbequina EVOO

Grandma Angelica had a rule about summer tomatoes: you do not cook them. You let them sit, you season them well, and you give them time. They will do the rest. A good panzanella is built on exactly that patience — ripe tomatoes slowly releasing their juices into the bowl, turning a handful of simple ingredients into something that tastes like peak summer in every bite.

This version is pure California in spirit. We use the best heirloom tomatoes you can find — the gnarly, shoulder-heavy ones at the farmers' market, the kind that smell like a greenhouse when you slice into them — along with crisp cucumber, paper-thin red onion, torn fresh basil, and hunks of toasted sourdough that soak up every last drop. The bread is the beauty of this dish: slightly crunchy at first, then gloriously soft once it has spent time in the dressing.

And the dressing itself? Red wine vinegar for brightness, flaky salt for depth, and a genuinely generous pour of our cold-pressed Arbequina EVOO. Its buttery, fruity character is not a background note here — it is the whole point. Save a little to drizzle over the top just before serving, when it is still green and grassy and fresh.

Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 15 min | Servings: 4

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Ingredients

• 12 oz rustic sourdough or ciabatta, torn into 1½-inch pieces
• 7 tbsp Angelica's Organic Arbequina EVOO, divided
• 1½ lbs ripe heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
• ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed (optional but encouraged)
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more to finish
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spread the torn bread on a sheet pan, drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the EVOO, and toss to coat. Season with a pinch of salt. Bake for 12–15 minutes, turning once, until the edges are golden and crisp but the centers still have a little give. Set aside to cool.

2. While the bread toasts, place the tomato chunks in a large bowl and toss them with 1 teaspoon of flaky salt. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes. This is where panzanella earns its reputation — the tomatoes will release a fragrant, slightly sweet juice that forms the base of your dressing.

3. Add the sliced cucumber, red onion, capers, and torn basil to the tomatoes. Drizzle in the red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Toss gently to combine.

4. Add the toasted bread to the bowl and fold everything together, pressing the croutons lightly so they absorb the dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

5. Let the panzanella rest for 15–20 minutes before serving. The bread should be moist and flavourful but not falling apart — that resting window is the difference between good and great.

6. Just before you bring it to the table, drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of EVOO and scatter a few fresh basil leaves on top. Serve straight from the bowl.

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Chef's Tips

• Tomato quality is everything. If you cannot find ripe heirlooms, a mix of colourful cherry tomatoes works beautifully and cuts down on prep time. What you want is flavour, not perfection.
• Do not rush the rest. Both the salt-and-rest step for the tomatoes and the final 15-minute soak for the bread are non-negotiable. Good panzanella is patient panzanella.
• The finishing drizzle matters. Heat changes olive oil. The tablespoon you pour on at the very end — cold-pressed, unheated — delivers the fresh, peppery brightness that makes this dish taste alive. Do not skip it.

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Salud!