Ciambotta di verdure

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Francesco Mazzei’s ciambotta di verdure recipe is full of Calabrian childhood memories for the chef: ‘Growing up, my mother made this dish the night before we visited the Madonna. After an uphill walk on Sunday mornings to pay our respects, we’d eat the ciambotta – wonderful hunks of the eggy, juicy, vegetable-packed bread were the perfect snack.'

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Method

1
Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to a large sauté pan. Place over a medium heat, add the peppers and cook until nicely softened and coloured. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside
  • 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 600g of red pepper, cut into 1.5cm cubes
2
Add another tbsp. of oil to the pan and cook the courgette using the same method. Once ready, repeat with the aubergine and red onion, again cooking in separate batches
  • 320g of courgette, cut into 1.5cm cubes
  • 350g of aubergine, cut into 1.5cm cubes
  • 300g of red onion, cut into 1.5cm cubes
3
Approximately one quarter down the side of the loaf, cut the top off in a circular shape. Pull out almost all of the soft centre of the bread to create a vessel for the filling
  • 1 sourdough loaf, weighing 2.5kg, or 2 x 1.25kg loaves
4
Mix your reserved cooked vegetables well, then stir the eggs into the hot vegetables so they scramble and cook. Mix in the fresh herbs, dried oregano and pecorino. Season to taste then transfer the filling to the hollowed-out loaf
5
Drizzle some olive oil over the top, replace the ‘lid’ of the loaf and set aside at room temperature overnight to allow the loaf to firm up. During this time, flip the loaf over 3-4 times to allow the juices to evenly soak into all parts of the loaf
6
Cut into thick wedges and serve

Francesco Mazzei reminds us why we fell in love with Italian food in the first place, conjuring soulful dishes that put flavour first.

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