Dry, day old bread can be used in many ways including bread soup or 'pain perdu' (the real French Toast).
In Cucina Povera: Tuscan Peasant Cooking (Andrews McMeel Publishing -September 13, 2011), Pamela Sheldon Johns offers another option, Panzanella.
Panzanella, Bread Salad
Panzanella is one of several classic recipes using dry or day-old bread. Many American versions use croutons, but the authentic version is made with a dry bread that is soaked in water to reconstitute it, then is mixed with tomato, cucumber, basil, and onion, and dressed with olive oil and vinegar. In hard times, it was often made with just bread and onion, but today you may see such additions as tuna, green beans, bell peppers, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, and capers.
1 pound day-old country-style bread, cut into several pieces
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs basil for garnish
Crumble the bread in a large bowl and add water to cover. Let soak for 15 minutes. Squeeze the bread with your hands and discard the soaking water. Place the bread in a medium bowl with the tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic and vinegar. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt
and pepper to taste.
Toss the dressing with the bread mixture, then garnish with basil sprigs and serve at once.
Serves 6
I previously shared Pamela's Gnudi, Spinach and Ricotta recipe.
(* Recipe from Cucina Povera: Tuscan Peasant Cooking by Pamela Sheldon Johns/Andrews McMeel Publishing, September 2011, all rights reserved)