Recipes

MEATLESS CANEDERLI IN BROTH
serves 4

3/4 pound day-old bread, finely diced
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Salt
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1 quart broth

Sauté bread briefly in 1/4 cup butter. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Mix the eggs and milk together until frothly, then pour over the bread. Stir in the parsley, salt and nutmeg.
Sauté the onion in the remaining tablespoon of butter until it's translucent, then add it to the bread mixture. Let rest for a half hour.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Mix the flour into the bread mixture. Wet hands and shape mixture into 8 golf ball-sized balls. (If necessary, add a bit more milk to make the mixture easier to handle.) Drop the canderli into the slightly salted water and cook for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, heat broth.
Transfer the cooked canederli to the broth with a slotted spoon and serve.

PANZANELLA
serves 4
Panzanella is a very versatile salad, based on vstale bread and tomatoes. The recipe below is fairly close to 'authentic,' but don't feel bound to it as this salad is capable of taking much variation. Do remember, though, that this is meant to be a simple salad made with the best quality, freshest ingredients you can find.

1/2 pound stale bread, cut in thick slices
6 medium or 4 large tomatoes (preferably vine-ripened), cut into wedges
1/2 large cucumber, thinly sliced
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
Small bunch of fresh basil, shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Put the bread in a shallow bowl and pour fresh water to cover. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze it to remove most of the water. Crumble into another bowl and set aside.
Combine the tomato wedges, cucumber and onion slices, and basil in a large salad bowl. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and bread. Toss gently to mix.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to mix.
Shortly before serving, add vinegar and adjust seasoning.

BREAD PUDDING
The perfect close to a dinner with friends on a cold winter night.

12 - 16 oz stale bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup raisins
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk

Butter a 3 quart baking dish, preferrably a souflé dish. Spread the bread evenly in the dish then scatter the raisins on top. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whish together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and milk.
Pour the mixture over the bread and let it stand for 30 minutes, pressing down perodically.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake the pudding in a water bath until puffed and firm in the center, about 1 1/4 hours. Serve warm or cold. The pudding will keep several days in the refrigerator.