good-and-cheap

$5.20 t o t a l$1.30 / s e r v i n gSpicyPanzanellaf o r fo u rA former classmate, George, likes salads witha little kick. (As you can maybe tell, I do too!)For inspiration, I turned to panzanella, a classicItalian bread-and-tomato salad. The Italiansare true masters of making leftovers delicious.Here, old hard bread soaks up tomato juice anddressing for a super flavorful and filling salad.You can toss in any vegetable or fruit so long asit’s juicy. Bell peppers or carrots won’t work sowell, but peaches, grapes, and zucchini all do. Ifyou don’t like spicy salads as much as Georgeand I do, feel free to replace the jalapeño withgarlic or shallot.2 small field cucumbersor 1 English cucumber, chopped2 medium tomatoes, choppedsalt and pepper4 slices day-old breadd r e s s i n g1 jalapeño, finely chopped2 tbsp tomato, chopped1 lime, juiced2 tbsp olive oilsalt and pepperIf you’re using field cucumbers—usually muchless expensive than English cucumbers—peelthem roughly to remove the tough skin.Keep about 2 tablespoons of chopped tomatoesaside to use in the dressing, but throw the restof the tomatoes and all the cucumbers into alarge bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt andpepper; the salt helps draw out the juices. Tossthe vegetables quickly.Place a small saucepan on medium heat witha few drops of olive oil. Sauté the jalapeño forabout a minute, then add the remaining tomatoand a tablespoon of water. Cook for another2 minutes, until the tomato juices release.Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.Once the water has evaporated, turn off thestovetop and dump the jalapeño-tomatomixture on your cutting board. Chop it veryfinely, then throw it back into the pan—withno heat—along with the lime juice and olive oil.Taste it and add more salt and pepper as needed.You’ve got dressing!Chop or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces,then toast it in a skillet over medium heat,tossing occasionally until the bread chunks aretoasty on all sides. Alternatively, just toast fullslices of bread in a toaster and tear them upafterwards, or skip the toasting entirely if thebread is already super-hard.Mix the bread and vegetables with the dressing.Taste and adjust salt and pepper once more.s a l a da d d i t i o n sfresh herbspeaches, nectarines, or plumsred onion, finely choppedzucchini or summer squasholivesgrapesLet it sit for a few minutes so that the bread cansoak up the juices, then serve!s a l a d4849