Use it up

Bread never goes to waste in an Italian kitchen. Leftover loaves are used to make dishes like panzanella, passatelli and susciella

Roast Vegetable Panzanella

Panzanella is a Tuscan salad created as a way to use up leftover bread. It is often served as a side dish, or as a light lunch or dinner.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

1kg Spinneys roast vegetable mix, from the deli

2 tbsp SpinneysFOOD Mediterranean Extra Virgin Olive Oil

SpinneysFOOD Fine Sea Salt, to taste

SpinneysFOOD Black Peppercorns, freshly ground, to taste

2 sprigs of SpinneysFOOD Fresh Rosemary

300g day-old sourdough or ciabatta

For the dressing

100ml SpinneysFOOD Mediterranean Extra Virgin Olive Oil

50ml red grape vinegar

SpinneysFOOD Fine Sea Salt, to taste

SpinneysFOOD Black Peppercorns, freshly ground, to taste

1 small shallot or onion

100g pitted black olives

Large handful of SpinneysFOOD Fresh Basil

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.

2 Place the roast vegetable mix in a roasting tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper and scatter over the rosemary. Roast for 30 minutes, or until golden and caramelised. 3 Twenty minutes into the cook time, tear the bread into chunks and scatter over the vegetables. Return the tray to the oven for the remaining 10 minutes. 4 In large bowl, whisk together 70ml of the olive oil, red grape vinegar and season well. 5 Finely chop the shallot.

6 Add the roast vegetables, crunchy bread, shallot, olives, and basil leaves and toss to coat.

7 Serve immediately.

Passatelli

Passatelli are plump cheesy noodles, made from leftover bread, usually served in a comforting broth. This dish is a speciality of the Emilia-Romagna region.

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus resting time)

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4

For the pasta dough

4 large SpinneysFOOD Organic Free-Range Eggs

200g day-old sourdough or ciabatta

200g SpinneysFOOD Parmigiano Reggiano Grated

1 tbsp SpinneysFOOD All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp SpinneysFOOD Fine Sea Salt

2L beef stock

To serve

3 sprigs of SpinneysFOOD Fresh Thyme

50g SpinneysFOOD Parmigiano Reggiano

SpinneysFOOD Black Pepper, freshly ground, to taste

1 To make the pasta dough, combine all the ingredients, making sure it is a stiff, homogenous mass. Add more breadcrumbs if the mixture is a bit sticky. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. 2 Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a large saucepan. 3 To test the dough, slice off a piece of dough that will fit into a potato ricer and squeeze it through. Once it reaches the desired length drop it into the stock. If the pasta dissolves, knead a little more flour into the dough. 4 Once the dough is ready, press it through the ricer (to approx. 7cm long) into the stock and cook until the pasta floats to the surface, approx. 2 minutes. 5 Serve with a sprinkle of thyme leaves, shavings of extra Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper.

Basil Susciella

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus refrigeration and soaking time)

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

For the dumplings

350g leftover bread

125ml SpinneysFOOD Full Fat Milk

Handful of SpinneysFOOD Fresh Basil

80g grated Pecorino, or any hard cheese

1 large SpinneysFOOD Organic Free-Range Egg

SpinneysFOOD Pure Sunflower Oil, for deep-frying SpinneysFOOD Arrabiata or Napoletana Sauce

To serve

Handful of SpinneysFOOD Fresh Mint

1 Soak the bread in the milk for 20 minutes or until soft, then squeeze out any excess. Finely chop the basil. 2 Mash the bread, basil, cheese and egg together. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Once chilled, form the mixture into dumplings. 3 Fill a saucepan halfway with oil and place over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the dumplings, in batches, turning constantly for 1-2 minutes, or until golden and starting to crisp. Drain on paper towels. 4 Place the sauce in a saucepan and add the dumplings. Cover with a lid and stand for at least 1 hour to allow the dumplings to soak up the sauce.

5 Gently reheat the dumplings in the sauce. 6 Scatter over the fresh mint leaves and serve while still hot.