Ingredients
Panzanella
6 cups (about 1/2 lb.) stale country-style rustic bread, crust trimmed, bread cubed into bite-size pieces
4 large ripe tomatoes, cored, then cut into bite-size chunks (about 8 cups)
1 small red onion, quartered, then thinly sliced
Salt
1 cup pitted green Castelvetrano or Cerignola olives (buttery Italian olives), coarsely chopped
2 fresh red or green chili peppers—halved, seeded, and chopped
2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
¼ cup drained Italian capers in brine
½ cup EVOO
¼ cup white balsamic or white wine vinegar
A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley tops, chopped
⅓ lb. ricotta salata, crumbled or coarsely grated, or 1 ball of burrata or fresh mozzarella
Tuna
4 sustainable sushi-grade tuna steaks (5 to 6 oz. each)
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, halved
Preparation
Step 1
Place the bread in a large bowl. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup water and toss. Add the tomatoes and onion; season with salt and toss again. Add the olives, peppers, cucumbers, and capers; toss. Add the EVOO, vinegar, basil, and parsley and toss again. Set the salad aside while you make the tuna.
Step 2
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Season the tuna with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Add the oil to the skillet, two turns of the pan. Cook the fish until medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a large plate. Add the lemon to the skillet, cut-sides down. Cook until lightly browned, 2 minutes. Squeeze the lemon over the tuna.
Step 3
Divide the salad among shallow bowls; top with the cheese. Top each salad with a tuna steak, either whole, sliced, or broken into pieces.
