NEW ZEST FOR TOMATOES.

Byline: Joyce Gemperlein Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

Tonight make a dinner out of tomatoes - I hope you've found some good ones by now - and hunks of crusty, good bread. Scatter the sliced tomatoes with fresh basil and set a pepper mill and sea salt nearby. Drizzle with fine olive oil and high-quality balsamic vinegar.

Grab a bite-size slice or hunk of bread and, with your thumb, press pieces of tomato and basil against it. You don't need utensils; this is why God patented fingers.

I won't blame you if, to save face, you call this a sandwich or lick at any stray juices.

You also can fashion a panzanella or a papa al pomodoro, two frugal and delicious Italian dishes that, more or less, involve the same ingredients.

Essentially, what separates a bread-and-tomato platter from panzanella and panzanella from papa al pomodoro is mushiness (and, therefore, the need for utensils). In ascending order of mush, they devolve this way: tomato and bread platter (sandwich consistency), panzanella (salad texture) and papa al pomodoro (very thick soup).

All require the best of the best - tomatoes (the small yellow, orange or red cherries are the best bet), bread, oil, basil and vinegar.

There are several ways to make panzanella, which translates into ``bread salad.''

I spoke with Margherita Romani, who with her husband, Massimo, cooks at their restaurant, Margherita di Roma, in Cupertino, Calif.

Romani, who is from around Rome, said panzanella is eaten as an appetizer or sometimes late at night with wine in both Tuscany and Rome. Here is how she makes it the authentic way - and without a recipe:

``Usually we use pagnotta (a type of rustic bread). It should be a day or so old. Dip it in water, just to soften it. Cut it into cubes and put it in a dish. Top it with diced tomatoes, fresh oregano and a drizzle of good olive oil. In Tuscany, I think they add balsamic vinegar, but not in Rome,'' Romani said.

Romani makes a simple and fast papa al pomodoro by putting bread on the bottom of a soup dish and topping it with tomatoes that are reduced to more of a puree. She said this is a typical Tuscan cold soup.

A second way to do panzanella is a la Sally Schmitt.

With her husband, Don, and another couple, Schmitt owns the Apple Farm in Philo, in California's Anderson Valley. At the farm, they run a cooking school and produce a line of chutneys and jams.

Schmitt taught a class titled ``when enough is too much,'' centered on using the fruits of a boisterous garden to best advantage. One of the dishes she taught was panzanella.

``It's an absolutely wonderful classic and humble Italian salad, but the soaking in water never sounded too appetizing to me. I've upgraded it, I think,'' Schmitt said.

Schmitt has taken culinary license with her panzanella by making her own garlicky croutons with the best bread she can find. She gets the croutons golden and crisp in the oven.

Near serving time, she cuts the best tomatoes she can find into cubes the size of or slightly larger than the bread cubes. She splashes them with good balsamic vinegar, drizzles on fine extra-virgin olive oil and adds salt and pepper.

She mixes the tomato salad with the croutons and lots of slivered basil leaves and serves the panzanella in shallow soup bowls.

That's it.

Like Schmitt, who takes a classic and aligns it to her taste, you might be tempted to add anchovies, salami, olives or cheese to your panzanella or papa al pomodoro. You might imagine what the dish would be like with avocado, salsa or hot peppers. Perhaps touches of fresh ginger, lemon grass, Thai basil and rice wine vinegar would produce panzanella or papa al pomodoro with an Asian bent.

You'll be getting away from the classic treatments, but those are all fine ideas. Go right ahead.

SALLY SCHMITT'S PANZANELLA

Schmitt's bread of choice is Pugliese. Like Romani, Schmitt includes no specific amounts for either vinegar or oil because tomatoes vary in juiciness. Don't add so much vinegar and oil that the dish is swimming, just enough to moisten the bread.

2 to 3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 baguette OR rustic bread, cut into cubes

8 ripe tomatoes, diced OR 2 pint baskets cherry tomatoes, halved

Extra olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Generous amount slivered basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place garlic, 1/4 cup oil and butter in a blender and process until well mixed. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and pour garlic mixture over. Toss to coat.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven until golden and crunchy. Bread cubes may be stored 1 to 2 days, but are best fresh.

Near serving time, place tomatoes in a large bowl. (Use about 2 regular tomatoes per person.) Season liberally with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, slivered basil, salt and pepper. Toss. Set aside at room temperature.

At serving time, add 1 handful of bread cubes per person and plenty of slivered basil. Toss. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately at room temperature. Serve with soup spoons. Makes 4 servings.

PAPA AL POMODORO (Tuscan bread soup)

This tomato-bread soup is a little more complicated than Romani's technique. It's also served hot.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

6 cups day-old country-style bread (about 1/2 pound), lightly toasted

5 to 6 basil leaves, shredded

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups light chicken OR vegetable broth OR water

Olive oil

In a deep enamel casserole, warm oil and saute onion, celery and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, bread, basil, salt, pepper and broth. Mix well and cook, covered, over very low heat 30 minutes. Stir frequently and break up bread by mashing against bottom of a pan with a fork.

When bread is fully dissolved and mixture is a uniform mush, it is done. Season with salt. Serve at once or reheat when ready to serve. Top each bowl with a large drizzle of oil. Makes 4 servings.

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Photo

Photo: (color) Panzanella, a meal in itself, is a salad mix ture of fresh tomatoes, croutons, basil and olive oil with vinaigrette.

Jason M. Grow/San Jose Mercury News