Pallotte Cace e Ove Abruzzesi

Ingredients

• 200 g stale bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces
• 100 ml whole milk, for soaking
• 200 g young Pecorino, finely grated; not aged
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• as needed fine dry breadcrumbs, to correct a too-wet mixture if required
• 150 ml olive oil, for frying
• For the tomato sauce
• 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 30 ml olive oil
• 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to finish

Method

1. 1
   Submerge the torn stale bread in the milk and leave it to soak until fully saturated. Gather it in both hands and squeeze out every drop of liquid — the bread should feel dry to the press, not damp. A wet bread base will destabilise the entire mixture.
2. 2
   Combine the squeezed bread, grated young Pecorino, beaten eggs, garlic, and parsley in a bowl. Work the mixture firmly until it coheres into a single paste. It should hold its shape when pressed but carry a slight give — neither cracking at the edges nor slipping through the fingers. If it yields too easily, work in a small measure of dry breadcrumbs until resistance returns.
3. 3
   Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The mixture firms as it rests, allowing the balls to be shaped cleanly without sticking or slumping.
4. 4
   Shape the mixture into balls no larger than a golf ball. Larger balls will not cook through evenly. The exterior should feel smooth and hold its sphere without cracking.
5. 5
   Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan over a medium-high flame. Lower the pallotte in batches — do not crowd the pan. This is where the dish lives or dies: the balls must fry undisturbed until a true golden-brown crust has formed on each side before being turned. A pale or underset crust will dissolve the moment the pallotte meet the tomato sauce. Fry, turning methodically, until the entire surface is evenly golden and firm to a light press.
6. 6
   Lift the fried pallotte onto a tray lined with kitchen paper. The crust should sound faintly crisp if tapped with a fingernail and show no soft or pallid patches.
7. 7
   In a wide saucepan, warm the olive oil for the sauce over a medium flame, add the crushed garlic cloves, and allow them to colour to pale gold. Add the crushed tomatoes, season, and cook at a steady simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly and smells cooked through rather than raw.
8. 8
   Nestle the fried pallotte into the tomato sauce in a single layer. Simmer, covered, for exactly 10 minutes. The sauce must remain vivid and the pallotte distinct — they should not absorb the sauce or lose their form. Scatter the chopped parsley and serve directly from the pan.