Pallotte Cacio e Ovo (Stale bread and Pecorino Dumplings)

Pallotte Cacio e Ovo (literally, balls with pecorino and egg….Yes doesn’t sound as evocative in English!) is a traditional dish from my mother’s village in the mountains of Abruzzo. Every Mamma and Nonna in Torricella Peligna has a treasured recipe for this humble dish that features stale bread as its key ingredient, and they all vehemently claim to be the keepers of the tastiest recipe. I am no exception, having inherited my great Aunt Italina’s method, which includes a chunk of bell pepper left to stew in the tomato sauce to add a touch of peppery robustness to this magnificent peasant meal.

INGREDIENTS,

serves 4

For the dumplings

• 200 gr (about 2 cups) day-old Italian bread (such as pane di casa or ciabatta), crust removed, cut into chunks

• 250 ml  (1 cup) of milk

• 160 gr (2 cups) of finely grated pecorino cheese

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley and 1/4 of chopped basil leaves

• 1 egg , lightly beaten

• Olive oil to deep fry

• salt and pepper to season

For the sauce

• 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 spring onions (scallions) roughly chopped

• 1/4 green capsicum (pepper) in 1 piece

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped + 1 whole, bashed with the back of a knife

• 1 small celery stick, finely chopped

• 2 tins of tomatoes or 3 cups of  home-made passata

• Basil leaves

• salt and pepper to season

HOW TO

1. Soak the bread in milk for 20 minutes or until soft, then squeeze out any excess. Using your hands, break down the bread to a pulp

2. Combine bread with cheese, egg, herbs to form a sticky batter. Add salt and pepper to season. Rest in the fridge for 20 minutes

3. Meanwhile, for the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat

4. Cook, spring onion, garlic, celery and pepper, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. Add tin tomatoes or passata, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook gently for 20 minutes or until slightly reduced

5. Half fill a saucepan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat

6. Take the dumpling mixture out of the fridge, and, with wet hands, shape it into balls the size of a small mandarin

7. Deep fry the dumplings in batches until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper

8. Add the cooked dumplings to the tomato sauce, cover with the lid and stand , off the heat, for at least 1 hour before serving to allow for the flavours to mingle and for the dumplings to soak up the sauce

9. When ready to serve, gently reheat the dumplings in the sauce, top with basil leaves and serve hot or warm

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