Tuscany is a vast region of unique and tasty vegetables, fish, meat, poultry, cured meats, and cheese waiting to be explored. But why wait? To help you set up your pantry, Divina Cucina and Stefano Conti have assembled a Tuscan Kitchen Starter Kit. Click here to order this fabulous package of goodies for setting up a Tuscan kitchen in your home!

Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad) ow that summer is here, my favorite recipe -- panzanella -- is beginning to appear. This very mediterranean salad is another example of the green, white and red colors of the Italian flag (La Bandiera) influencing the color pattern of Italian cuisine. The record of panzanella goes back centuries. In the 1500s, a poem by the famous artist Bronzino described the salad. Of course, the tomato was quite a few years from being introduced into the Italian kitchen, so the ingredients were limited to cucumber, onion, basil, arugula, and bread. You need a salt-free bread for panzanella. Some of the great new breads from artisan bakeries work well. (Florentines produce their bread without salt, which is balanced off with a heavy hand with salt in their dishes.) It's important to use a bread that actually goes stale. Do not use one with preservatives! Slice the bread thickly and let it dry. Do not save it in plastic or the bread will mold. It needs to crumble after moistening, not form bread balls. Its texture when crumbled should resemble couscous. In fact, try substituting couscous for bread the second time you make this recipe. In addition to panzanella, the Florentines have created several recipes that recycle stale bread. The most famous are ribollita, vegetable soup reboiled with bread, and Pappa al pomodoro, the tomato version. Here's the recipe! 1 pound stale bread 3 tomatoes, cut into 8ths 2 red onions, thinly slices 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced Basil Olive oil Vinegar Salt Soak the sliced stale bread in cold water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the water and crumble the bread into a serving bowl. Add tomatoes, cucumber, onions and basil. Season will olive oil and salt. Mix well and let sit. Before serving, add vinegar and mix again. Serve with olive oil, vinegar, and salt on the side. NEW! Garmugia Watermelon Sorbetto RECIPES Salade de Bœuf à la Parisienne Spaghetti di Vino with Beets Melanzane Grigliate Carciofi Sott'Olio Carciofi Fritti Uove al Diavolo Pesce Finto Green Tomato Pasta Sauce Macedonia di Frutta Fagiolini Mangiatutto Saltati Cinghiale in Dolce Forte Risotto All'Isolana Fettunta Spaghetti di Vino Salame Dolce Cioccolato Caldo Vestri Sugo di Carne Watermelon Ice Osteria Luchin's Polpettone di Patate Federico Bacci's Sage Pesto Frittelle di Riso Romeo Colzi's Ribollita Bollito Misto Yellow Bell Pepper Soup Porcini Pasta Sauce Pappa al Pomodoro Pollo al Mattone Torta di Mele Mimmo's Pasta with Zucchini Erbe Toscane Ricciarelli Tonno e Fagioli Schiacciata con l'uva Panforte Spinaci alla Fiorentina Ribollita Sugo Finto Fagioli all'Olio Panzanella Ravioli Gnudi with Salsa di Noci Arrosto Fiorentino Il peposo alla Fornacina Chicchi Caffè Shakerato Limoncello Nocino Fish in Crazy Water Capresse Click here to send this recipe to a friend!