This is a classic Abruzzese dish from my mother's village.
Every mamma and nonno in Torricella Peligna has a tenured recipe for this
humble dish (and all claim theirs is the best!). I am no exception. Keeping the
capsicum in one piece adds a gentle sweetness to the tomato sauce
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| Pecorino and bread dumplings with homemade tomato sauce |
Pecorino and bread dumplings with homemade tomato sauce
ingredients: 200g day-old Italian bread (such as pane di casa or ciabatta),
crusts removed, cut into chunks. 1 cup (250ml) milk. 2 cups (160g) finely
grated pecorino pr parmesan. 1/4 cup roughly chopped basil, plus extra basil
leaves to serve. 1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley. 1 egg yolk, lightly
beaten. Olive oil, to deep-fry. Crusty bread, to serve
Tomato sauce ingredients: 2 tbs olive oil. 2 spring onions,
finely chopped. 1/4 garlic clove, finely chopped. 1 small inner celery stalk,
roughly chopped, leaves reserved. 400g can chopped tomatoes. 2 tbs chopped
basil
Pecorino and bread dumplings with homemade tomato sauce
recipe: Soak the bread in the milk for 2 minutes or until soft, then squeeze
out any excess. Using your hands, bread down the bread to a pulp. Combine bread
with cheese, herbs, egg yolk, 1 tsp salt and some pepper to form a sticky
batter. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the tomato sauce, heat oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat. Cook
spring onion, capsicum, garlic and celery stalk, stirring, for 5 minutes or
until softened. Add tomatoes, 200ml water and 1-2 tsp salt, bring to a simmer,
then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from
heat, then stir in the basil and celery leaves. Set aside. Half-fill a saucepan
with oil and heat over medium heat (a cube of bread will turn golden in 15
seconds when the oil is hot enough). Using your hands, shape the dumpling
batter into 4 cm balls. In batches, deep-fry the dumplings, turning constantly,
for 1-2 minutes or until golden and starting to crisp. Remove with a slotted
spoon and drain on paper towel while you repeat with remaining batter. Add the
cook dumpling to the tomato sauce, cover with a lid and stand for at least 1
hour to allow the dumplings to soak up the sauce. Gently reheat the dumplings
in the sauce, then serve with a scattering of fresh basil leaves and plenty of
crusty bread to mop u the leftover sauce
