Pane Carasau Quiche

(serves 2 | 30 minutes | easy)

Pane Carasau is one of the most unique types of bread in Italy, also known as “music paper” due to its peculiar thickness. It is traditionally made on the island of Sardinia and used for all sorts of recipes, from more traditional dishes like pane frattau (find my recipe for it here) to innovative uses like in lasagna or soup. One of my favorite ways of using it is as a substitute to puff pastry when making a quiche.

6 sheets of pane carasau (roughly) – 600g washed spinach leaves – a handful of pine nuts – grated parmigiano (to taste) – 1 leek – 1 egg – extra virgin olive oil – salt and pepper 

  1. Slice the leek into disks and then dice it finely. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan then throw in the leek and sauté until it softens.
  2. Add the washed spinach leaves and cook until softened, stirring often. Turn off the heat, place onto a cutting board and chop the mix roughly, then pour into a bowl and leave to one side. 
  3. To prepare the base of the quiche, rinse the pane carasau leaves under warm running water until softened, then place them onto the baking dish, making sure to cover it all and leaving some bread to hang over the sides. Place a few layers of bread over the centre of the baking dish. 
  4. Crack the egg into the bowl with the cooked spinach and combine well. Add a few handfuls of grated parmigiano (to taste) and adjust with salt and pepper. Roughly slice the pine nuts and add them to the mix. If it results too liquid, add more parmigiano and if necessary a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
  5. Pour the mix onto the baking dish lined with pane carasau, level out with a spoon and bake at 180 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pane carasau hanging from the edges is crisp and golden.