Caponata is one of Sicily’s most beloved dishes, especially in the summer when eggplants are in season and at the peak of their flavor.
EGGPLANT CAPONATA
read more...
PANE CUNZATO
Some of the best things about Sicily don’t require a recipe, all you need are quality ingredients and a commitment to simplicity. Pane cunzato is exactly that: a loaf of freshly baked semolina bread, still warm, soaked in olive oil and stuffed with flavorful ingredients. Originally a meal for farmworkers, it has earned a place among Sicily’s most beloved street foods. The recipe is so simple that the delicious result will surprise you.
READY IN 15 minutes
DIFFICULTY easy
SERVINGS 2
500 g (17.9 oz) fresh durum wheat semolina bread loaf
300 g (10.7 oz) primosale cheese, sliced
15 cherry tomatoes
10 anchovy fillets in oil
4 tbps extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pinch fine salt
1 pinch black pepper
STEP 1:
Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Place the whole loaf inside and let it warm up for about 10 minutes, until the crust is hot and crispy. While the bread is warming, wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Slice the primosale cheese into slices of uniform thickness.
STEP 2:
Cut the loaf in half to make two pieces. Take one piece and cut it horizontally in half. Make slits with a knife on both halves; this will allow the bread to better absorb all the flavors. Pour plenty of oil over both halves, close them together, and press lightly to help the oil soak in. Arrange the sliced cherry tomatoes on one of the halves, pressing lightly as you place them to infuse the bread with the tomato juice.
STEP 3:
Sprinkle the bread and cherry tomatoes with a pinch of salt. Arrange the anchovy fillets evenly, breaking them into small pieces with your hands. Add the slices of primosale cheese and sprinkle everything generously with oregano. Close the sandwich by pressing it down slightly, and repeat the same process with the remaining portion of the loaf.
Pour a generous amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Press the cherry tomatoes lightly to infuse the bread with the tomato juice
Cut some primosale cheese
Arrange the ingredients on the bread
Season with oregano
OIL AS PROTAGONIST
Pane cunzato has no sauce, no marinade, no cooking to hide behind, just a drizzle of olive oil doing all the heavy lifting. This is the moment to reach for something truly special. We recommend Asaro Farms Olio Nuovo Rustico Extra Virgin Olive Oil: cold-pressed from Sicilian olives at peak harvest, it brings a grassy, peppery intensity that soaks into warm semolina bread like nothing else. One ingredient, all the difference.
POOR MAN’S BREAD
Pane cunzato, literally ‘seasoned bread’, was never meant to be a recipe. It was a field worker’s lunch, assembled from whatever was at hand: a loaf of bread, a pour of oil, a tomato from the garden. Born out of necessity in the Sicilian countryside, it crossed every social boundary and became one of the island’s most iconic street foods. The lesson Sicily has always known: the simplest ingredients, treated with care, need nothing else.
MAKE IT YOUR OWN
The Scopello version, with tomatoes, primosale cheese, and anchovies, is the classic starting point, but pane cunzato isn’t a set recipe. Add salted capers and raw onion for an Aeolian twist, or go for the Messina-style version with grilled eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes. But you can also use tuna, olives, tuma cheese, and fresh basil—all of these are acceptable ingredients. The only rule is to use whatever fresh ingredients you have on hand!
share this receips
Did you like this content? Share it with whoever you want.
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER FOR MORE
Stay up to date on new recipes, articles, discounts, new product
releases, and much more.
BUSIATE WITH TRAPANESE PESTO
An iconic traditional dish from western Sicily that you can whip up just while the pasta is cooking