Non-VegetarianSiciliana cuisine Starters

Pane Cunzato

Name: Pane Cunzato
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Siciliana
Ingredients: 1 loaf durum wheat loaf; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 300 g Ripe tomatoes; 8 fillets anchovy fillets in oil; 150 g primo sale cheese; 20 g salted capers; 1 tbsp dried wild oregano; 2 g sea salt; 1 g Black pepper

A classic Sicilian dressed loaf layered while warm with ripe tomatoes, salted anchovies, primo sale cheese, capers, oregano, and olive oil.

🇮🇹Italy· Sicily

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 480 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

1 loaf durum wheat loaf — around 500g, crusty Sicilian semola bread
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — fruity Sicilian oil preferred
300 g Ripe tomatoes — sliced thinly
8 fillets anchovy fillets in oil — drained, or desalted anchovies
150 g primo sale cheese — fresh young sheep's milk cheese, sliced
20 g salted capers — rinsed and drained, ideally from Salina
1 tbsp dried wild oregano — crushed between fingers
2 g sea salt — to taste
1 g Black pepper — freshly ground

Equipment

•Baking tray
•Bread knife
•Cutting board

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 480 kcal
fat: 21 g
carbs: 56 g
fibre: 4 g
protein: 16 g
calories: 480 kcal

Instructions

1
Preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan).
2
Slice the durum wheat loaf in half horizontally using a bread knife.
3
Place the bread halves cut-side up on a baking tray and warm in the oven for eight minutes until crisp.
4
Score the warm bread crumb lightly in a criss-cross pattern with a small knife.
5
Drizzle half of the olive oil generously over the warm, open bread halves so it soaks in.
6
Rub several tomato slices directly into the warm crumb, then lay the remaining slices on top.
7
Distribute the anchovy fillets and rinsed capers evenly across the sliced tomatoes.
8
Arrange the sliced primo sale cheese over the bread.
9
Season with dried oregano, a light pinch of sea salt, black pepper, and the remaining olive oil.
10
Press the halves together firmly if serving as a sandwich, or slice into wide wedges to serve open-faced.

Chef's tips

Assemble the bread while it is hot from the oven so the olive oil and tomato juices soak deeply into the crumb. Use ripe, fragrant tomatoes and robust Sicilian oregano for the best flavour balance.

Ingredient substitutions

primo sale cheese → fresh caciocavallo, young pecorino, or fresh mozzarella drained well
salted capers → green Sicilian olives, pitted and roughly chopped

Storage

Pane cunzato is best eaten immediately, but leftovers can be wrapped in paper and kept at room temperature for up to four hours.

Reheating

Reheat assembled bread briefly in a moderate oven at 160C for five minutes to crisp the crust.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Dressing cold bread, which prevents the oil and savoury juices from penetrating the crumb.
•Oversaturating the bread until soggy instead of keeping the outer crust crisp.