PANGRATTATO
Pangrattato/ti (from grated bread) is/are crispy flavoured breadcrumbs which are a fabulous way of adding deliciousness and texture to all sorts of meals, I find you can’t go wrong with a crunchy sprinkle! It’s also very cheap as you can use stale bread and the additions are a great way of using up other leftover bits and pieces.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 100 g panko bread crumbs
- 25 g Parmesan, finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
To make pangrattato, heat half the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add anchovies and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Mix remaining oil with breadcrumbs and add to the pan cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients and cook until mixture is dark golden and crisp. Season.
What to do with your Pangrattato:
You can of course sprinkle it as the mood takes you but here are a few suggestions:
Add crunch to perfectly cooked fresh veggies eg. asparagus or broccoli or green beans. Anchovy pangrattato is excellent with cauliflower.
Add to Egg dishes as topping.
Toss with gnocchi – in my opinion gnocchi need all the help they can get!
Top risotto.
Sprinkle a little on cheese (maybe let it cool a little first if using on a cheeseboard), walnut pangrattato would be good on blue cheese, for instance, or pesto pangrattato with goat cheese.
Use instead of more traditional croutons on thick creamy soups.
Makes an almost instant gratin topping!
Sprinkle on salads.
Pangrattato is a perfect addition to creamy dishes such as pasta in an Alfredo Sauce.
Recipe and photo: Elize de Kock
