Easy dinner recipe: Tomato-herb panzanella

Sometimes the last thing you want to do on a hot weekday evening is turn on the oven for dinner. Late September in Southern California can mean absurdly high temperatures, which makes a big bowl of salad a pretty great dinner choice. Panzanella, the rustic Italian bread salad, works well with a steak or a cheeseboard — or just a glass of wine and a fork.

Heirloom tomatoes are still filling farmers markets, and most of us have the rest of the ingredients — bread, greens, good olive oil — somewhere in the kitchen. The lovely thing about panzanella is that you can adjust the ingredients to suit your situation: swap arugula for watercress, cilantro for basil, even kale if you must. So throw all this stuff in a bowl while you uncork a bottle and listen to Vin Scully while you still can.

TOMATO-HERB PANZANELLA

1/4 cup good-quality olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

4 cups country white bread, preferably stale, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sea salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red chile, minced

4 medium black tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups halved grape and/or cherry tomatoes, assorted colors

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped oregano

1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil

1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley

1 cup watercress

1. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and salt and then toast until golden, tossing frequently for even cooking, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the minced garlic and chile and toss to coat the bread. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, making sure the mixture doesn’t get too brown. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, onion, vinegar and black pepper. Add the bread mixture and toss to coat. Let sit for about 30 minutes for flavors to combine.

4. Add the oregano, basil, parsley and watercress to the salad, toss. Check for seasoning, adding more salt if desired. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of olive oil.

Each serving:

270 calories; 5 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 4 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 257 mg. sodium.

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