Fried Bread

(“Pane Fritto” – “Pani Frittu”)

In the western part of Sicily the leftover bread is mostly transformed into grated bread and used for stuffing, as a filler to increase the volume of chopped meat or to replace cheese in many pasta dishes.
In the eastern part of Sicily leftover bread is manipulated into a dignified sort of bruschetta fried not baked, covered with a delicate olive paste and sometimes by a thin layer composed of a mixture of eggs and cheese and then spread with olive paste.
In Syracuse pane fritto is a popular snack and a well accepted antipasto, made more interesting when covered with a variety of spreads.

 

Ingredients:

For the Fried Bread

• 1 loaf of Italian bread, sliced into ½ inch pieces or use leftover stale sliced bread,
• if it is too hard soften by drizzling with a little water
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons of grated pecorino cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of grated pecorino cheese to garnish

For the Olive Paste

• 24 black pitted olives
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of oregano
• Salt and pepper

 

Preparation

To Make Fried Bread
In a large skillet, over a medium heat warm the oil to 350 degrees or before the smoke point which is at 375 degrees.
Fry the sliced bread until light golden, a few at a time without crowding them, rest on paper towels to remove the excess oil. Garnish with pecorino cheese and serve hot.
I liked it sprinkled with granulated sugar, instead of cheese for a sweet afternoon snack, the merenda.

To Make Fried Bread with Olive Spread  
Make a paste by combining 12 pitted black olives, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, pinch of oregano salt and pepper. Spread paste on eachslice of the fried bread and garnish with ½ black olive.

To Make a Special Fried Bread
Place the eggs and a pinch of salt in a wide bowl and beat until smooth.
Mix in 3 teaspoons of cheese and pepper to taste.
In a large skillet, over a medium heat warm the oil to 350 degrees or before the smoke point which is at 375 degrees.
Place each slice of bread into the egg mixture, one at a time, drain and transfer to hot oil. Fry until light golden, a few at a time without crowding them, rest on paper towels to remove the excess oil.
Garnish by sprinkling the pane fritto with pecorino cheese and serve hot.