Hot food: Pangrattato
Keep your old bread - it can add crunch to your cooking.
What is it?
It's Italian for breadcrumbs - crunchy, toasty crumbs that make a brilliant topping for vegetables, salads, pasta and brunchy weekend egg dishes.
Breadcrumbs were traditionally used in southern Italy in place of the more expensive cheese as a topping for pasta - these days, it's catching on as a smart way to add a little texture to your cooking.
Where is it?
At Fatto Bar & Cantina in Melbourne, head chef James Kummrow's spaghettini with crab, lemon, chilli, parsley and pangrattato is much in demand. "It is a really great textural component," says Anthony Musarra of the Van Haandel Group.
His tip? "We fry them in a little extra-virgin olive oil and clarified butter to achieve an even, golden crumb."
Pangrattato has appeared as a traditional accompaniment to spaghetti on the menu at Sydney's Public Dining Room but chef Kenji Miyashita is shaking things up a bit, combining Sonoma breadcrumbs with roasted pinenuts and house-dried lemon verbena as a garnish for the last of autumn's zucchini flowers. "We fill the zucchini flower with ricotta, gruyere and parmigiano cheese and serve with a smooth and spicy mustard seed sauce royale," he explains.
"The cheese is softly melting and the sauce is rich and smooth, so we needed some crunch."
Why do I care?
Because it adds an instant toasty, roasty, golden crunch - and it's a great way of making use of every scrap of perfectly good bread.
Can I do it at home?
Can and should. If your bread isn't stale enough, tear into small pieces and dry it in a low oven for 20 minutes first.
Spaghettini with zucchini, anchovy and pangrattato
Swap out the zucchini for cauliflower, broccolini or leafy greens such as kale or cavolo nero.
300g spaghettini
3 zucchini, finely sliced
6 anchovy fillets, torn into pieces
1 tbsp mint leaves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
1 lemon, for serving
FOR THE PANGRATTATO
4 big, thick slices of stale sourdough
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
half garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
pinch of dry chilli flakes
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1. To make the pangrattato, remove crusts and tear the bread into small pieces. Whiz briefly to a coarse crumb in a food processor. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the crumbs and cook, tossing well, until golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, lemon zest, chilli and parsley, tossing well.
2. Cook the pasta in simmering, salted water until just al dente.
3. Drop the zucchini into the boiling pasta water, bring it back to the boil for 30 seconds, then drain the pasta and zucchini together.
4. Toss the pasta and zucchini with the torn anchovy, mint, a good slug of extra-virgin olive oil and one tablespoon of the crumbs.
5. Divide between bowls and scatter generously with parmesan and remaining crumbs. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
Serves 4
Fatto Bar & Cantina
River Terrace, Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 03 8698 8800, fatto.com.au
The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Sign up
Jill Dupleix is a Good Food contributor and reviewer who writes the Know-How column.