Pane Rustica or Pane Arrostito*

VERSION I. The original recipe used by Mrs. Giovanna Melfi (Mary Melfi's mother) in Montreal, Quebec:

6 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt and pepper

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Version II. The original (truly original) recipe used in Casacalenda, Molise by Mrs. Giovanna's mother-in-law, the late Mrs. Assunta Melfi, that was adapted for North American use:

6 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup home-made aged [about 7 to 10 months old] sheep's cheese [lu casu], grated
1 cup home-made newly-made [about 3 to 4 weeks old] sheep's cheese [lu casu], grated
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt and pepper

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Version III. The alternative North American version that might come closest to the original recipe used in Casacalenada, Molise by the late Mrs. Assunta Melfi:

6 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
1 cup Caciotta cheese, grated*
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt and pepper


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Version IV. Mary Melfi's personal take on the original recipe (produces a milder-tasting "Pane Rustica"):

6 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated
1 cup Caciotta cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt and pepper

*On the internet and in Italian cookbooks the recipe, "pane rustica" generally refers to Italian-style "rustic" bread. However, in Casacalenda, Molise, at the turn of the last century, "pane rustica" did not describe country-style bread. It described cheese-based croutons. According to those who immigrated from Casacalenda in the 1950s, the translation of the words, "pane rustica" means "roasted bread" (not "rustic" bread); however, the Italian word for roasted is "arrostito" and yet no one from Casacalenda calls this recipe "pane arrostito" for reasons unclear.

o Combine ingredients and mix well.

o Place the cheese and egg mixture in a shallow well-greased and floured pan (The uncooked mixture should not be more than 1/2 inch high in the pan, as it will rise when it cooks. So, the size of the pan depends on the amount of mixture one has, in any case the entire mixture should spread out to the entire length of the pan, and its height should be about 1/2 inch high.)

o Cook in a 325 degree oven for 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

o Cool.

o Cut into small cubes (about 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch).

Nowadays "Pane rustica" is served with broth; in pre-World War II Italy it was not only used as a top-of-the-line crouton, it was also offered to guests, on its own, as a special treat. At that time this recipe was made with "home-country cheese" -- "lu casu," half of which was "new" and the other half, "old". Country cheese was made from sheep milk. Nonetheless, as soon as Italians immigrated to Canada, Parmesan was substituted for "country cheese" in most recipes, including this one. Also, in the 1930s, as households did not own ovens, the "pane rustica" was brought to the communal oven and there it was baked. It was never fried. There is a poor man's version of this recipe, which just includes bread and eggs, and that version can be fried, but the "real" pane rustica is baked (Well, it is according to my mother). Also (according to my mother) in Italy "pane rustica" looked like North American-style "bread croutons" rather than North American-style "cheese-balls." The pieces were squared rather than round. However, because "pane rustica" was only made for very special occasions (e.g. weddings) very few people ever actually made this dish in Italy prior to World War II. Certainly my own mother never made it when she was living in Italy. However, as soon as she arrived in Montreal, Canada she did make this famous dish from Molise. Here the ingredients were relatively cheap, plus she had an oven. In the late 1950s local Italian grocery shops did not have a wide variety of imported cheeses. At that time many Italian-Canadians had their relatives still living back in their home towns send them wheels of home-made country cheese then simply known as "lu casu," and so they could duplicate the old recipes quite easily. However, by the late 1970s, as the size of the local Italian shops increased, and as the variety of their foodstuffs increased as well, fewer and fewer individuals asked their relatives to send them wheels of cheese made in their own home-towns. Also, by the late 1970s fewer and fewer Italians in Molise were making their own cheese. So all in all, many (if not all) Italians who had immigrated from Molise started to adapt their original recipes with store-bought cheeses. From what I can gather, a number of individuals from Casacalenda, including my late aunt, Zia Teresa DiTullio, substituted Caciotta cheese for "newly-made sheep's cheese." I can't say for sure if this is the best cheese to use as I myself never tasted newly-made home-made sheep's cheese, all I know is that my late aunt made use of caciotta cheese in her fiadone, and as fiadone and this recipe are close cousins so to speak, then this cheese got her stamp of approval. Back when my aunt was still alive "pane rustica" was only made in the Melfi-DiTullio family for very special occasions -- Christmas, Easter and such festivities. By the late 1970s everything changed. Most foods that had been kept for festivities were made any old time. And as Parmesan Reggiano truly is the king of cheeses, offering its humble subjects the best of all possible worlds (How it can be sharp and mild at the same time is a big mystery, but it is) most Italian-Canadians, regardless of where they were originally born, simply fell in love with this Northern Italian import and used it in their traditional recipes.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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