Panzanella - Bread Salad

Been making this recipe from the NY Times for years - it is so aromatic and delicious! I almost never use stale bread and just make it with fresh French or Italian bread with a little water sprinkled on it. I never use salt in it, either. And it's great because you can really make as much as you want and to your taste -- use more/less garlic, no salt, etc. I keep grated orange rind in the freezer so I always have some on hand. Careful whom you kiss after eating this!

5 large ripe tomatoes, cut into small dice
1 red onion, peeled and cut into small dice
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 loaf stale, crusty French or Italian bread

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley and rosemary. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, orange rind, salt and pepper and mix well.

Slice the bread in half length-wise. Pour on enough water to completely moisten. Let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. Finely chop the bread and toss it into the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield: 6 main course servings or 12 side-dish servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving:
199 calories
3 grams fat
0 milligrams cholesterol
1,322 milligrams sodium
6 grams protein
37 grams carbohydrate