Pangrattato are breadcrumbs which have been seasoned and toasted to bring some crunch and texture to dishes such as pasta, vegetables and salads. It was once used as an inexpensive substitution for cheese, but then became a delicious condiment in itself. Once you try it, you'll want to add it to everything!
Here's a simple recipe for a pasta dish, using the breadcrumbs from our focaccia leftovers. We sell these at the store in 300g sachets.
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Ingredients
serves 2
180g spaghetti
1 bunch broccolini
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
For the pangrattato:
80g breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp finely chopped lemon (skin and flesh)
1/4 cup flat parsley, finely chopped
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare the pangrattato. Heat the olive oil in a non stick pan on low heat, add the lemon and cook for 5 minutes, then add the parsley and cook for another minute before adding the breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium, and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden brown and crispy. Pay attention as the breadcrumbs can burn quickly. Remove from the heat and transfer immediately to a bowl to cool.
Roughly chop the broccolini into bite-sized pieces. Blanch for one minute in the boiling water, remove with a skimmer and set aside. Add the spaghetti to the same boiling water and cook al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon olive oil with the garlic in a pan on low heat, just until the oil begins to warm and the garlic is fragrant. The garlic shouldn’t fry. Add the broccolini and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add the drained pasta to the broccolini and stir well together. Serve into two shallow bowls, top each one with a couple of tablespoons pangrattato and generously drizzle with olive oil.
The dish can be made with any greens you have at hand. And you can play around with the seasoning of the pangrattato, adding garlic, capers and other fresh herbs. It's also surprisingly very tasty by simply toasting the breadcrumbs in olive oil with a pinch of salt.