Panzanella

Panzanella
Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe mixed tomatoes, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces 
1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon fine salt), plus more for seasoning
1 pound levain, sweet batard, ciabatta or any crispy artisan bread, sliced into 1-inch-thick sticks, each stick then torn into pieces. 
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic
1/2 cup (1/2 ounce) packed basil leaves, plus a stem
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces Persian cucumbers, peeled and sliced into 1/3 inch


Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F .

2. Place tomato pieces in a colander set over a bowl and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal
kosher salt or ¾ teaspoons fine salt. Toss. Set aside at room temperature to drain, tossing occasionally.
Drain for a minimum of 15 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with 1/3 cup olive oil and season with salt. Transfer to two rimmed baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden brown and crunchy. Remove from oven and let cool.

4. Remove colander with tomatoes from bowl with tomato juice. Measure 1/3 cup juice, keeping seeds out and strain if needed. (Reserve extra juice.) To a lidded jar, add 1/3 cup tomato juice, vinegar, smashed garlic, broken basil stem, a big pinch of salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Put the lid on the jar and shake. Taste. Add a tablespoon or 2 more of the tomato juice to taste. 

5. 15 minutes before serving your salad, in a large serving bowl, add half of the toasted bread with a few tablespoons of shaken dressing. Let sit.

6. Remove the basil and garlic from the salad dressing.

7. To the large bowl, add the remaining toasted bread, tomatoes, cucumber, and a few tablespoons of dressing. Tear up the basil leaves and add them. Toss everything to coat and season with salt and pepper. This salad should be juicy but not excessively so.