A Google search of the word pancotto provides dozens of recipes. Many say it's a southern dish while others attribute its origins to Northern Italy. What is known for sure is that the recipe always calls for two ingredients: stale bread and water. And from there, the variations abound.
The bread
The recipe originated as a way to make sure stale bread didn't go to waste. If you're not using stale bread, toast the bread in the oven then soften it in water or broth.
The type of bread doesn't matter, but it's best to avoid whole-wheat and grain bread and anything in the pizza and focaccia families as they often have additional flavors/or toppings.
Oil and salt
In addition to water, oil and salt are necessary. The traditional recipe doesn't include these because the bread was usually salty already and extra-virgin olive oil was a privilege of the few.
Pancotto: the recipe
To prepare the pancotto, cut the stale bread into pieces, place it in a pot, and cover with water.
Cook everything over medium-low heat until the bread forms a cream.
Blend it if necessary, but if the cooking was long and slow, it shouldn't be necessary.
At this point, add salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
The original recipe doesn't include grated cheese, but we suggest sprinkling some on.
The variations
Pappa al pomodoro
In the pappa al pomodoro recipe the bread is softened with the broth and then with the tomato, and finally seasoned with crude oil and a lot of basil. Some also like to add grated cheese. In this case, use Tuscan bread and fresh tomatoes that have been blanched, cut into pieces, and passed through a masher.
Pangalluccio
This Abruzzese recipe is prepared with 1 garlic clove, chili pepper, and rosemary. First, fry the diced bread with garlic and oil, then add water to soften everything. Finally, it’s seasoned with chili, salt, and pepper.
Apulian Pancotto
This recipe includes vegetables, which makes it the richest pancotto out there. You can add spinach, kale, and chicory as well as potatoes, broad beans, and broccoli according to some local traditions.
Pancotto with beans
From a nutritional standpoint, this is a“complete dish” due to the protein from the beans. Borlotti beans work well, but you can also use cannellini, which is more delicate. Start by sauteeing celery, carrots and onions, then adding boiled beans and the diced bread. Finally, cover everything with vegetable broth and bring it to boiling point. The bread shouldn’t become creamy but should remain fairly firm.
Ribollita
An even richer version of the previous one is the classic ribollita which always has stale bread as its base but is enriched with many ingredients such as beans and black cabbage. This soup is perfect on cold winter evenings.