LA PREPARAZIONE (PREPARATION)

Slice the bread and put it into a shallow dish. cover it with water and leave for 10 minutes. At the end of this time, squeeze the water from the bread and crumble it by rolling it between the palms of you hands. Pluck the bread into pieces to fluff it a bit. Put it in to a salad bowl large enough to hold all of the ingredients.

Cut the cucumber and the onions into thin slices. Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Add the cucumbers, onions and 3/4 of the tomatoes to the bread.

Season all of this with most of the basil, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Mix the salad gently, preferably by hand, so as not to bread up the vegetables, or to pack them too tightly. Cover and place in the refrigerator until just before the time to serve the Panzanella.

At the last moment, add the vinegar and a bit more olive oil. Mix gently again, then garnish with the remaining basil leaves and tomato wedges. Serve.