Choosing ingredients
Bread: Melissa Perello uses a baguette in this salad, but any small rustic loaf will be fine aswell. “Usually you’re making panzanella because you have day-old bread, so definitely use whatever you have,” she says.
Tomatoes: Although the market is overflowing with heirlooms, Perello likes to use dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes— she usually gets hers from Tomatero or Dirty Girl at the farmers’ market— which she says have a briny flavor and a texture that is great for salads. “These also allowyou to toss the salad without mangling or smashing the tomatoes,” says Perello, as they tend to be a bit firmer and less juicy than heirlooms.
Stone fruit: Choose semi-ripe nectarines or peaches. Otherwise, Perello says, the fruit “will juice out all over your pan.” The recipe calls for one nectarine or peach, but if you want to add both, you can use half of each for the salad.
Fennel: Perello likes to add fennel to all of her salads, because it adds texture and crunch, especially if it’s added at the end. She saves the fronds to add in aswell.
Sweet red frying peppers: Jimmy Nardellos, or other thin-skinned, small peppers, workwell.
Cucumber: During the summer you can find several varieties, so use something interesting like lemonor Painted Serpent cucumber that you can cut with the skin on.
Cheese: Choose feta, sheep’s milk ricotta or fromage blanc— something sweet and just slightly tangy— to round out the salad. You can also serve the salad without cheese.