Economical Italian Recipes with Bread

Over the centuries, the Italians have come up with many appetizing recipes with bread, that are both nutritious and economical. Old bread is used in their preparation.

The Italian salad panzanella, delicious and satisfying, is made in this way. For 6 servings you need 14 oz dry bread, best if using ciabatta, 2/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 lbs tomatoes, 1 onion head, 10 olives, salt and black pepper to taste.

Grate 2/3 of the tomatoes, crumble the bread into pieces and put them in a bowl. Pour on the tomato juice. Dice the rest of the tomatoes into cubes the size of the bread chunks. Cut the onions into thin slices.

In the bowl with the bread, add the tomatoes and onions, olives, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Mix the salad very carefully with your hands. Let it sit for 10 min. and then serve.

Pizza made from old bread is another Italian invention and besides being economical, is incredibly tasty. This type of pizza is very easy to make.

All you need is 10 slices of dry, old bread, about 2″ thick, 1 can of tomatoes in their own juice, 1 tsp oregano, salt and black pepper to taste, 1 cup milk, 3.5 oz feta cheese or cheese, olive oil.

Heat the oven to 390°F (200 °C).

Pour a little olive oil in a tray. Dip each bread slice in the milk, to soften them. Dipping the bread slices for a few seconds, in order for them to absorb some milk, is enough.

Mash the tomatoes and sprinkle them with salt and oregano. Arrange the bread slices one next to another in a tray and smear them with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the grated feta cheese or cheese, arrange more spices on top and smear with tomato sauce, sprinkle with feta cheese or cheese.

Bake the pizza for 40 min, while being careful not to burn it. Leave it in the oven, turned off, with the door open for another 10 min. and then serve. If you wish, you can add some salami or sausages, cut into pieces.

If you like, can break 2 eggs over the pizza once it's ready, and let them toast in the oven for a few minutes. For spicy food lovers, you can sprinkle a sliced chili pepper over the pizza.