Pancotto (Parmesan-Garlic Crisped Bread with Spicy Greens)
Source: J.M. Hirsch & Christopher Kimball, Milk Street Backroads Italy
Recipe Type: Appetizers and Sides | Seasons: Spring
This recipe comes from Milk Street Backroads Italy by Christopher Kimball & J.M. Hirsch (Hatchette, 2025) and was demonstrated in the Foodwise Classroom on April 19, 2025.
In Campania, home cook Antonietta di Gruttola showed us how to create a tender, almost stuffing-like pancotto melded with spiced greens. Pancotto, also known as pane cotto, translates as “cooked bread,” a reference to the stale bread that is torn into pieces and cooked similar to pappa al pomodoro, the much-loved Tuscan tomato-bread soup. In Italy, we learned there is no one way to make pancotto. In fact, the version taught to us by di Gruttola in Ariano Irpino, about 100 kilometers east of Naples, was hardly a soup, and more like a soft, forkable, egg-free “stuffing” that might accompany roasted poultry. She kept the bread chunky and added a generous amount of olive oil as well as wild bitter greens flavored with garlic that melted into the softened bread.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to serve
6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
8 ounces crusty white bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (½ cup), plus more to serve
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 large heads escarole (2½ to 3 pounds total), bruised outer leaves discarded, torn into rough 1-inch pieces (about 16 cups)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
PREPARATION
- Don’t bother to carefully dry the escarole after washing it. Simply allow it to drain in a colander, and shake the colander a couple times to remove the excess. A little water clinging to the leaves is fine, as the added moisture will create more steam during cooking.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-low, combine ½ cup of the oil and the garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the garlic.
- Add the bread to the pot and toss to coat with the oil. Cook over medium, stirring, until the bread is well browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the bread to a large bowl; reserve the pot. Add the parmesan to the bread and toss to combine; set aside.
- In the same pot over medium-high, bring the broth and pepper flakes to a simmer. Add the escarole a couple handfuls at a time, stirring to wilt the leaves before adding more. After all the escarole has been added, cook, uncovered and stirring often, until the escarole is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Off heat, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup oil, then return the toasted bread to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve sprinkled with additional cheese
