The Recipe My Italian Grandmother Used To Turn Stale Bread Into Dinner

Stale bread shines here.

ShanonG

Nov 2, 2024 - 21:02

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The Recipe My Italian Grandmother Used To Turn Stale Bread Into Dinner

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Author:

November 02, 2024

Cookbook Author

By Laura Vitale

Cookbook Author

Laura Vitale is the host of Laura in the Kitchen, a popular cooking channel on YouTube.

November 02, 2024

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My mom's mom, Nonna Adriana, used to make us this dish all the time. She was a master of letting nothing go to waste and taught me just how tasty a piece of stale bread could be as a snack when drizzled with good olive oil and a pinch of salt—or when stuffed into eggplant with capers and olives, like I do here.

As all those flavors meld together, they really do become more than the sum of their parts. This simple dish is not only supremely delicious the day it's made, but it's also really good cold.

Melanzane A Scarpone

Serves 8

Ingredients

4 small firm eggplants2 slices day-old Italian bread (about 3½ ounces), chopped or torn into ½-inch pieces2 plum tomatoes, diced⅓ cup pitted Kalamata or Gaeta olives, chopped2 ounces scamorza, smoked mozzarella, or low-moisture mozzarella, diced¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons freshly gratedParmigiano-Reggiano cheese¼ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling4 to 5 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn2 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drainedKosher salt3 tablespoons plain bread crumbs

Directions

Halve the eggplants lengthwise and use a large spoon to scoop out most of the flesh. You want to leave behind just enough of the insides to create a "shell" that won't fall apart after roasting. Finely chop the eggplant flesh and add it to a large bowl.To the chopped eggplant, add the bread, tomatoes, olives, scamorza, ¼ cup of the Parm, the parsley, oil, basil, garlic, capers, and a pinch of salt. Mix well to combine and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.Preheat the oven to 350°F.Place the eggplant "shells" in a roasting pan, cut-side up. Fill each half with the filling—packing it in really well. Evenly sprinkle with the bread crumbs and the remaining 3 tablespoons Parm. Give each eggplant half a drizzle of olive oil and bake until golden brown and the filling feels firm when pressed, about 1 hour. If desired, switch to broil for the last minute or so to get the bread crumbs deeply browned and crispy.