Okay, I realize this may be a complete tease since it's waaaay late in the season for tomatoes, but Chris thought we would get tomatoes for at least one more week. Let's hope the warm weather holds up!

Anyway, when it's really hot in the middle of summer and you can't bear to cook but you'd like something a little on the substantial side, try panzanella (also known as bread salad).



Cut a loaf of crusty bread into bite size pieces (day old bread is great for this). Put them in a bowl. Sprinkle some balsamic vinegar on the bread (a little goes a long way, but do try to get some on each bit of bread).  Cut up 2-5 (depending on size) juicy tomatoes into the bowl. Please do cut them in the bowl, so you don't have any loss of the juice. The first time I made this I cut the tomatoes on a cutting board and a lot of the juice just didn't make it into the bowl (the bread won't soften without the juice!). Chop up a bunch of basil leaves and add to the bowl. Chop up 1-2 cloves of garlic and add it, too. Sprinkle with some olive oil, and mix it all up (I find by hand works best for me). Let stand at least 10 minutes to allow the bread to soak in all the tomato flavor.

Add in chunks of mozzarella if you'd like. I hear some people like to add other things like cucumber or olives or peppers. Also, some people might make a vinaigrette first, rather than doing the separate balsamic and olive oil. Whatever works for you! The main thing is to get the crusty bread softened by the juicy tomatoes.

DON'T REFRIGERATE YOUR TOMATOES! This recipe is best with unrefrigerated tomatoes. And it's definitely best fresh, and not leftover the next day when it was in the fridge.