Zuppa Pavese

Name: Zuppa Pavese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Lombarda
Ingredients: 1.2 l rich beef broth; 4 slices crusty white bread; 50 g Butter; 4 large fresh eggs; 80 g grana padano; 2 g Fine sea salt; 1 g Black pepper

A classic Lombard soup made by pouring boiling beef broth over golden fried bread, a raw egg and freshly grated Grana Padano cheese.

🇮🇹Italy· Lombardy

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 30 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 410 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

1¼ l rich beef broth — clear and well-seasoned
4 slices crusty white bread — cut 1.5 cm thick, rustic loaf
50 g Butter — for frying
4 large fresh eggs — at room temperature
80 g grana padano — finely grated
2 g Fine sea salt — to taste
1 g Black pepper — freshly cracked

Equipment

•Medium saucepan
•Wide frying pan
•Ladle
•Four heatproof soup bowls

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 410 kcal
fat: 23 g
carbs: 32 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 19 g
calories: 410 kcal

Instructions

1
Bring the beef broth to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan, then reduce heat to keep it piping hot.
2
Melt the butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat until foaming.
3
Fry the bread slices for two to three minutes on each side until deeply golden and crisp.
4
Place one hot fried bread slice in the centre of each warmed heatproof soup bowl.
5
Carefully crack one egg directly onto the middle of each piece of fried bread, keeping the yolk whole.
6
Scatter the grated Grana Padano generously over the egg white and bread, leaving the yolk visible.
7
Ladle the boiling broth gently down the side of each bowl so it does not burst the yolk.
8
Let the soup stand for two minutes so the boiling broth lightly poaches the egg white.
9
Season with freshly cracked black pepper and serve immediately while steaming hot.

Chef's tips

Ensure the broth is at a rolling boil when ladling, as the thermal energy is what gently sets the raw egg white. Using room-temperature eggs prevents the boiling broth from cooling down too quickly.

Ingredient substitutions

Grana Padano → Parmigiano Reggiano
rich beef broth → rich capon or vegetable broth

Storage

Zuppa Pavese must be assembled and eaten immediately; it cannot be stored once combined.

Reheating

Reheat leftover broth separately to a rolling boil before assembling with freshly fried bread and eggs.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Pouring broth that is merely warm, which leaves the egg white completely raw and slimy.
•Pouring broth directly onto the yolk, which breaks it before reaching the table.
•Using thin sliced sandwich bread that dissolves into mush rather than holding its structure.