TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Zuppa GallureseGallura-Style Baked Bread and Cheese
Despite its name meaning soup, this hearty dish from Gallura in northern Sardinia layers bread, broth and cheese and bakes them in the oven. Bread and pecorino absorb sheep or beef broth before baking, earning it the name Sardinian lasagna. It is a local staple at weddings and celebrations.
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Ingredients (6 servings)
- Pane carasau (thin Sardinian bread) or country breadSlice 1 cm thick; break pane carasau into pieces300 g
- Sheep or beef broth1500 ml
- Semi-aged Pecorino SardoThinly slice or coarsely grate300 g
- Parsley and mintScatter between the layers1 bunch
- ButterDot over the top layer30 g
Method
Prepare the cheese
- 1 Thinly slice or coarsely grate 300 g Pecorino Sardo.
Ready when
The cheese should be thinly sliced or grated.
Prepare the oven and broth
- 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- 2 Warm 1500 ml broth in a pot.
- 3 Pour a thin layer of broth into the bottom of a deep ovenproof dish.
Ready when
The oven should be preheated and the broth warm.
Build the layers
- 1 Build 4–5 layers in this order: bread, pecorino, parsley and mint, then broth.
- 2 At each layer, press the bread into the broth so it absorbs it thoroughly.
Ready when
You should have 4–5 layers with the broth absorbed into the bread.
Caution
Press the bread firmly into the broth at every layer.
Finish the top and pour in the broth
- 1 Cover the top layer generously with pecorino.
- 2 Dot with 30 g butter.
- 3 Pour in the remaining broth until it just reaches the bread.
Ready when
The top layer should be finished and the broth should just reach the bread.
Caution
Add plenty of broth so the bread does not dry out during baking.
Bake until golden
- 1 Bake in an oven at 180°C for 30–35 minutes.
Ready when
The cheese on the surface should be golden.
Rest and serve
- 1 Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes.
- 2 Spoon into deep plates and serve.
Ready when
Plate after resting for 10 minutes.
Caution
Cutting immediately makes it fall apart. Rest for 10 minutes.
About this dish
Gallura in northern Sardinia faces Corsica and has a distinct language, Gallurese, and culture from the rest of Sardinia. Zuppa gallurese is a traditional dish of the region. Although called soup, it is actually an oven-baked dish closer to lasagna.
Dried pane du casu is arranged in layers, generously covered with casolico, a semi-aged sheep’s-milk cheese of Gallura, then moistened with sheep or beef broth and baked. The bread absorbs the broth and the cheese melts into layers. Eating it reveals a texture unique to the dish, neither quite soup nor lasagna.
It arose from shepherding culture. Shepherds moving across vast pastures carried only bread that kept well and sheep’s-milk cheese. They combined them with broth made from bones: an origin of Gallura cooking where generosity and thrift coexist.
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