Flatbread Lasagna
Pane frattau is a traditional dish of Sardinian shepherds, made from pane carasau, the thin, long-keeping flatbreads that were a staple food during the shepherds’ extended sojourns in mountain pastures. Some clever shepherd discovered long ago, I imagine, that he could turn the dry bread into a fast, warm meal by soaking and layering it with hot tomato sauce and cheese, lasagna-style. Now considered a classic of Sardinian cooking, pane frattau is a dish that I love to make at home. No baking is required, and everything can be heated on the stovetop (quicker than a shepherd’s campfire, I am sure) and quickly assembled. With a perfectly poached or fried egg as the crowning touch, it makes a beautiful brunch or supper dish, belying its peasant origins. Regard this recipe as a guideline. Though the listed ingredient amounts serve four, you can multiply them to serve a crowd or divide them to make pane frattau for two—or just for yourself. I recommend my Tomato Sauce (page 385), but any basic tomato sauce of your choice would be fine, too. And though I prefer poached eggs to top the pane frattau, a fried egg, sunny side up, would be just as authentic and satisfying. Either way, just be sure to cook the eggs at the last minute and serve the dish right away. I also suggest that you try layering pane frattau as is rather than water-soaked pane carasau. It is great that way, too!
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
Preparation
Step 1
Break each sheet of pane carasau into three or four pieces—just small enough to fit in the individual serving dishes. Fill a large bowl with hot water, and drop in a batch of broken bread pieces. Let them soak for a few seconds, so all are moistened, then remove and spread them on the paper-towel-lined tray. The pieces should still be somewhat firm; don’t let them get soggy. Moisten the rest of the pane carasau the same way.
Step 2
Heat the tomato sauce to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan, and keep it hot.
Step 3
Get ready for poaching the eggs: Pour water in the skillet to a depth of 2 inches, and add the vinegar (1 tablespoon per quart of water). Gradually heat to a simmer.
Step 4
Assemble the individual dishes of pane frattau just before cooking the eggs: Spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of each dish or bowl, and sprinkle over each a tablespoon of grated cheese. Cover the sauce and cheese with a layer of moist pane carasau pieces (keep in mind that you’ll need three such layers in each dish, or twelve portions of bread). Spoon another 3 to 4 tablespoons sauce on top of the flatbread, and sprinkle over it another spoonful of cheese. Now repeat this layering twice more—bread, sauce, cheese; bread, sauce, cheese—using more or less of each to taste.
Step 5
Poach the eggs at the last minute: One at a time, break them into a small ramekin or cup, and gently slide each one into the simmering water. Cook the eggs 2 to 3 minutes for a firm white and still-runny yolk (or longer if you like). Lift each egg out with a slotted spoon, drain for a moment on paper towels, and lay it atop a dish of pane frattau. Give each egg a final dusting with cheese, and serve immediately.
