What is pangrattato?

Pangrattato is what happens when stale bread meets a hot pan and a bit of ambition. It costs almost nothing, it keeps for days, and it makes a plain bowl of pasta or a tray of roasted vegetables feel finished.

What the word means

The Treccani dictionary defines pangrattato as dry bread reduced to crumbs with a grater, by hand or electrically, also called pane grattugiato. In Italy, that is all it means: breadcrumbs.

In English-language cooking, the word has come to mean breadcrumbs that have been toasted and seasoned. Wikipedia's breadcrumb entry describes pangrattato as an Italian garnish of toasted, seasoned crumbs, often added to pasta or cooked vegetables, and sometimes flavoured with garlic, anchovies, chilli or herbs.

Poor man's Parmesan

In southern Italy, toasted crumbs on pasta are a tradition of their own. In Sicily they are called muddica atturrata, toasted breadcrumbs with oil, garlic and anchovy, and BlogSicilia notes the nickname parmigiano dei poveri, poor man's Parmesan, and that it is used from Calabria to Liguria as well. A classic like pasta con le sarde is finished with toasted breadcrumbs. It is pure cucina povera: nothing wasted, plenty of flavour.

Making it

1. Crumbs. Tear stale bread (crusts off or on, your choice), and blitz or grate into coarse crumbs. Uneven is good: a mix of fine and pea-sized bits gives the best crunch. Shop-bought dried breadcrumbs work too, and panko makes a very crisp version.
2. Oil. Warm a generous slick of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. The crumbs will soak it up, so don't be shy.
3. Flavour the oil. Add sliced garlic, chilli flakes or an anchovy or two and let them sizzle gently until fragrant, the anchovy melting into the oil.
4. Toast. Add the crumbs and stir constantly. They will go from pale to golden fairly quickly, then from golden to burnt very quickly. Keep them moving, and take them off the heat when they are deep gold and smell toasty.
5. Finish. Tip onto a plate so they stop cooking. Add salt, lemon zest and chopped herbs off the heat.

Flavour ideas

• Classic: garlic, chilli, parsley, lemon zest.
• Herby: rosemary or thyme fried in the oil first, then crumbled in.
• Cheesy: a little grated Parmesan or pecorino stirred in once the crumbs have cooled slightly.
• Nutty: chopped almonds, walnuts or pine nuts toasted along with the crumbs.
• Savoury: a few capers or chopped olives, fried until crisp.
• Spiced: fennel seeds or smoked paprika.

Where to use it

• Pasta. Over aglio e olio, pasta with broccoli or cauliflower, or anything with anchovies or greens. Add just before serving so it stays crunchy.
• Roasted vegetables. Over cauliflower, broccoli, squash, carrots or tomatoes.
• Soups. On white bean or tomato soup instead of croutons.
• Salads. On bitter leaves, a tomato salad, or anything that needs crunch.
• Eggs. On fried eggs, a frittata or creamy scrambled eggs.
• Gratins. Scattered over a vegetable bake for the final stretch in the oven.

Keeping

Cool completely and keep in an airtight jar. It stays crisp for several days. If it softens, a few minutes in a dry pan brings it back.