I’m often amazed by ‘tips’ and ‘Hacks’ younger food writers feel the need to tell the world about – when they’re just reemerging ancient and venerable kitchen tips. Case in point: Repurposing stale bread as Bread Crumbs.
Okay. I’ll admit, right off the top, that there’s more than just rehashed info in this post. And the ‘extras’ are the real reason I chose to do Bread Crumbs again…
But first…
I’m sure most folks who are faithful followers of this food blog will already know enough to keep their aging or stale bread, let it get dry and ‘crispy’, and run it through the bar blender or food pro-cessor to make crumbs. ‘Fresh’ bread crumbs make the best coating for every-day fried foods or toppings for casseroles.
There are many other uses for them. For instance, they make a great binder/filler (combined with eggs and/or milk) for meat patties and meat loaf. And sausage makers will know how valuable bread crumbs can be in that application.
But today, we’re going to learn about another, unsuspected use for bread crumbs you’ll probably want to integrate into your personal recipe repertoire…
You’d never guess…
… But ‘secret recipe’ contributor Massio Buttura, owner and head chef of the renowned Osteria Francescana restaurant in Modena, Italy, has been making a pasta of sorts from bread crumbs for years.
Combatting food waste
“Eighty‑six percent of food waste now, in the world, is in our home,” the chef says. “It’s not in rest-aurants. It’s not in hotels. It’s in our home.”
Buttura has, in fact, developed a whole collection of recipes aimed at using up food that would otherwise be wasted. And many of those dishes include bread crumbs. One he makes often – at home and in his restaurant, is Passatelli, a simple combination of bread and Parmigiano that has become a Sunday dinner staple at his house.
Quick, easy and cheap…
If you like German Spätzle, you’ll love these little critters… They’re very similar to their northern cousins, but a little more generous in length.
You need only 6 ingredients to make them:
- 150 g breadcrumbs
- 100 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 3 eggs
- A pinch of grated lemon peel
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 litre of chicken broth
Just follow the simple prep instructions, and use a potato ricer to extrude the finished noodles…
More than meets the eye…
Buttura has made all kinds of dishes and condiments with bread crumbs. He’s developed a pesto recipe folks love, and thickens his tomato sauce with them (they’re just starch, after all…). And he’s discovered that toasted bread crumbs make a more than respecable substitute for Pine Nuts.
My take
Massimo Bottura has even founded a nonprofit focused on combating food waste, the Refettorio Network. And he also runs a community kitchen to feed the needy in his town.
I put him right up the in the pantheon of Super Chefs with José Andrés (founder of World Central Kitchen), and – yes – kitchen madman, culinary genius and philanthropist Guy Fieri.
I recommend highly Buttura’s bread-crumb approach to fast-and-dirty pasta. BTW: You can also make it stiffer, just by adding more bread crumbs, and roll it out to make conventional hand- or machine-cut ‘long’ noodles…
~ Maggie J.