Pane Frattau — Sardinian Carasau Bread with Tomato and Poached Egg

⏱ 30 min · Serves 2

Sardinia's cleverest comfort food: crisp sheets of pane carasau softened in hot broth, layered with a garlicky tomato sauce and showers of salty pecorino, then crowned with a wobbly poached egg. It comes together in half an hour and eats like a lasagne that forgot to be heavy.

Per serving: 642 kcal · 26.5g protein · 58.0g carbs · 34.5g fat

Ingredients

• 3 large sheets pane carasau (about 120 g)
• 500 ml light vegetable or chicken broth, hot but not boiling
• 400 g tin peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small pinch chilli flakes (optional)
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• 60 g pecorino sardo, finely grated
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar (for poaching)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan over medium-low heat, add the sliced garlic and chilli flakes and cook 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, a pinch of salt and the basil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until thickened and glossy. Keep warm.
3. Pour the hot broth into a wide shallow bowl or deep plate. Warm two serving plates.
4. Bring a small saucepan of water to a bare simmer, add the vinegar, and poach the eggs for 3 minutes until the whites are set and yolks runny. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.
5. Break the pane carasau into pieces roughly the size of your plates. Dip one piece at a time into the hot broth for 3-5 seconds only — it should soften like fresh pasta but keep a little body. Lift out and lay on a warm plate.
6. Spoon over a little tomato sauce and a scatter of pecorino. Repeat for three layers per serving, finishing with sauce and cheese.
7. Slide a poached egg on top of each stack, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, add black pepper and a final pinch of pecorino. Serve immediately, breaking the yolk into the layers as you eat.