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Pancotto pugliese
Bread and greens soup
Pancotto: Puglia's stale bread simmered with potatoes and bitter greens
Pancotto, "cooked bread", is the purest cucina povera of Puglia, from the farms of the Tavoliere plain around Foggia to the villages of the Gargano: stale bread, potatoes and whatever greens are growing, such as turnip tops, chicory or rocket, simmered together in salted water and dressed generously with raw olive oil and chilli. It was a farmworker's supper and is still the comfort dish families make in winter. Chef's tip: use a dense, day-old country loaf with a thick crust; soft sliced bread turns into a slimy mush.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz waxy potatoespeeled and cut into chunks
- 1 ⅛ lb turnip tops, chicory or chardtrimmed and chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 9 oz stale country breadcut into thick slices
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oilPuglian if possible
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 6 ¼ cups water to the boil with 1 tsp salt, 2 cloves garlic and 1 bay leaf. Add 14 oz waxy potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅛ lb turnip tops, chicory or chard and simmer for 10–12 minutes, until the potatoes and stems are tender.
12 minStep 3: Put 9 oz stale country bread in the pan, push it under the water and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until it soaks up the liquid but still holds together. Common mistake: stirring hard; the bread breaks into paste. Leave it alone.
3 minStep 4: Ladle into warm bowls with only a little of the cooking water, so it is thick, not soupy.
Step 5: Drizzle each bowl with 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and scatter with ½ tsp chilli flakes. Serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pancotto pugliese take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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