Pasta mollicata

Pasta mollicata is a pasta dish based on breadcrumbs, particularly common in the Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily regions of Italy. Compared to other pasta recipes, it is considered a "poor dish" because it is not prepared with many ingredients.

Preparation

Pasta mollicata is usually made by frying a chopped onion in a cooking pan with olive oil and a bit of lard. A chopped tomato is then added to the mixture and cooked on high heat for several minutes. Afterwards, some stale bread reduced to crumbs is added and the pan is left on high heat for about 15 minutes. After draining the salty pasta and stir-frying it with a bit of cacioricotta cheese, the dish is seasoned with more fresh cacioricotta, oil, and some hot pepper.