Zuppa Gallurese (Sardinian Bread and Cheese Bake)

⏱ 75 min · Serves 6

Sardinia's most comforting 'soup' isn't a soup at all — layers of stale country bread soaked in rich lamb broth, packed with sharp pecorino and mint, then baked until the top is bronzed and the middle is meltingly savoury. Shepherd food at its very best.

Per serving: 585 kcal · 31.0g protein · 48.0g carbs · 29.0g fat

Ingredients

• 500 g stale rustic country bread (Sardinian pane carasau-style or sourdough), sliced 1 cm thick
• 1.5 litres well-flavoured lamb or beef broth (see step 1)
• 350 g young pecorino sardo or fresh caciotta, coarsely grated
• 150 g aged pecorino sardo, finely grated
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• Black pepper, to taste
• Salt, if needed
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for the dish

Method

1. If making broth from scratch, simmer 800 g lamb shoulder on the bone with 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 2 bay leaves and 2 litres water for 2 hours, then strain and skim the fat (do this ahead). Otherwise use a good rich stock, heated until steaming hot.
2. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan. Brush a deep 22–24 cm baking dish with olive oil.
3. Mix the two cheeses in a bowl with the mint, parsley, garlic, nutmeg and plenty of black pepper.
4. Dip each slice of bread briefly into the hot broth — 5 seconds, just to moisten, not disintegrate — and line the base of the dish in a single overlapping layer.
5. Scatter over a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat: bread, cheese, bread, cheese, finishing with a generous layer of cheese on top.
6. Ladle over enough hot broth to come just below the top layer — about 500–700 ml. Press gently with a spatula; the bread should be soaked but not swimming.
7. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake a further 20–25 minutes until the top is golden, crusty and bubbling at the edges.
8. Rest 10 minutes before cutting into thick squares. Serve with a Sardinian red and a simple bitter-leaf salad.