Acquasale Lucana

Ingredients

• 600 g pane di Matera or firm durum wheat bread, stale, at least one day old, two days preferred, cut into rough chunks
• cold water cold water, enough to submerge bread briefly
• 400 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium red onion, Tropea type preferred, thinly sliced
• 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil, Basilicata peppery variety; the best available
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• to taste fine salt
• Optional
• 4 eggs, poached or soft-boiled

Method

1. 1
   Place the stale bread chunks in a wide bowl. Pour cold water over them — enough to cover — and leave for no more than one to two minutes. The bread must soften and become moist throughout but must not begin to dissolve. Lift each piece and squeeze it lightly: it should hold its shape and offer slight resistance at the centre.
2. 2
   Drain the bread thoroughly, pressing gently to expel excess water. Arrange it in a serving bowl or divide across four bowls. This is where the dish lives or dies: bread that is waterlogged will collapse under the dressing and become porridge; bread that is too dry will not absorb the oil. The correct texture is firm, cohesive, and uniformly damp.
3. 3
   Scatter the sliced onion and chopped tomatoes over the bread. Pour the olive oil evenly across the surface. Season with salt and crumble the dried oregano over the top. The oil should pool visibly in the hollows of the bread; the tomato should be at peak ripeness, releasing juice on contact with the salt.
4. 4
   If serving with egg, poach each egg until the white is just set and the yolk remains liquid. Place one egg on each portion. The yolk should break at the table, flowing over the bread and dressing. The dish is ready when the oil, tomato juice, and soaking water have begun to meld at the base of the bowl.