I was flipping through a cookbook of “forgotten” Italian soup recipes when I came across a soup topping from southern Italy called formaggio dei poveri or cheese of the poor. As I continued to read, I learned that it is also called pangrattato aromatico or aromatic breadcrumbs.
Back in the day, Southern Italy wasn’t as affluent as the North, and many people weren’t able to afford fancy cheese for grating to add to soup or other traditional meals. But the thrifty cook is also creative and in Southern Italy that meant using breadcrumbs, fried in olive oil, with salt and pepper, garlic, parsley and other fresh or dried herbs.
Of course, there are plenty of recipes including breadcrumbs in American cooking, think casserole, so this is not really anything new even for us who aren’t Italian. But I found it interesting and decided to use it for our dinner: Polenta with tomato sauce topped with formaggio dei poveri. I used the crust of gluten-free bread I saved in the freezer, olive oil to create a good crunch, added garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and fried onions. The polenta and tomato sauce were great by themselves, but the topping added a nice crunch and a special herby, spicy and garlicky aroma. Cheese was not missed.
This turned out to be an easy and quick dinner (30 minutes), that was gluten-free and dairy-free. If you run out of good cheese or are lactose intolerant, here is an inexpensive and fast way to make your own “cheese.”
An update on my baking with mesquite flour. It is a lot sweeter than I expected. I should have paid closer attention to the information on the package which calls mesquite “the sweet tree.” I baked a whole wheat bread with a little mesquite and it was good but not exceptional. I have used mesquite in a sweet and spicy glaze for savory scones which was more interesting. Next will be a lighter bread with walnuts and mesquite. The dough is in my fridge and waiting to be baked. I can’t wait.
*Image from https://www.waldkorn.it/