What is pangrattato and how do you make it?

Tobias Camman delighted us with the book Visvoer, from which we immediately started making his pangrattato. At first glance, it looks like ordinary croutons, but it isn’t. Tobias: ‘You make croutons from the French pain; this culinary masterpiece from southern Italy is made from pane, which is Italian for bread—and that obviously makes a big difference.’ In any case: crispy breadcrumbs are fantastically delicious!

What is pangrattato?

In Italian, pangrattato literally means ‘grated bread’ (pane = bread, grattato = grated). It is also sometimes described as ‘poor man’s Parmesan’. Tobias: ‘Quite an apt description, because it has a lovely deep, savory flavor that works wonders with any pasta. The difference from Parmesan is that it also adds a deliciously crunchy texture to the dish. You can make it from any piece of stale bread, and make sure you have bowls full of it, because my friends expect this crackling delicacy on every plate of pasta I serve them.’

• Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
• Tear or cut the bread into pieces as small as possible. (Tobias: ‘You can also use a food processor, but personally I don’t like a texture that’s too fine.’)
• Finely chop the garlic and anchovies. The smaller, the better.
• Put the bread and all the ingredients in a large bowl, roll up your sleeves and do as Tobias does: happily dive in with your bare fists. Knead all the oil and flavor into the bread. The pieces don’t have to remain neat cubes—in fact, the more rustic the shape, the better.
• Put everything in a large oven dish and place it in the preheated oven. Stir the bread with a spoon every 10 minutes.
• Bake everything until crispy and brown, about 45 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, as the time varies depending on the oven and the type of bread.

Delicious on everything

Pangrattato isn’t only a wonderful addition to pasta dishes, such as the classic aglio e olio. Its delicious flavor and crunchy texture give so many dishes that extra oomph. Lighter, summery salads, for example. Or how about sprinkling it over a ball of burrata? Roasted or fried vegetables, such as asparagus, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower, also gain an extra layer of flavor and texture when topped with pangrattato. For a little extra texture and flavor, you can also sprinkle pangrattato over creamy soups, such as pumpkin soup or tomato soup. It is also delicious as a crunchy topping for fish and meat dishes. For example, sprinkle it over fried or grilled fish, or over chicken breast or other fried meat for a delicious crust.