Puglia
Stale bread cooked directly in a seasoned tomato and vegetable broth until it absorbs all the liquid and dissolves into a thick, porridge-like consistency — one of Puglia's most ancient dishes. Bitter wild herbs (borragine, cicoria, cime di rapa), tomato, garlic and olive oil form the base; the old bread is torn in and cooked until completely soft. Finished with raw olive oil and peperoncino.
Sweet from the tomato, bitter from the wild herbs, richly olive-oily; the bread's starch gives body and sweetness; peperoncino adds heat — poor food of extraordinary flavour
{"Use truly stale bread — bread more than 3 days old absorbs without becoming gluey; fresh bread turns to paste","Simmer the vegetable and tomato base for 20 minutes before adding bread to develop deep flavour","Add bread in pieces and stir vigorously as it absorbs — the motion helps break it down to a uniform texture","The consistency is porridge, not soup — it should mound on a spoon without running","Season and dress with olive oil only after removing from heat — raw oil is essential to the dish"}
{"The olive oil must be Pugliese and robust — a green, peppery Coratina turns this humble dish into something extraordinary","A fried egg broken over the top just before serving (uovo in camicia) is traditional and adds richness","Leftover pancotto firms up in the fridge and can be sliced and pan-fried the next day — a version called 'pane fritto' results"}
{"Fresh bread that becomes gluey and textureless rather than absorbing cleanly","Too thin a final consistency — it should be thick enough to eat with a fork","Skipping the bitter wild herbs — their bitterness is the counterpoint to the bread's sweetness"}
La Cucina Pugliese — Pane, Olio e Pomodoro