Time.news – Bread and tomato. A summer dish. Essential, no frills. Traditional and delicious. Which replaces and, at the same time, integrates seasonal cuisine. Country dish, poor but fresh. With the right ingredients: tomatoes, good oil, a pinch of salt and fragrant basil leaves. Or, alternatively, a little oregano.
Basically there is bread, which can also be stale. However wet with a little water and rubbed with more ripe tomatoes, or fresh homemade bread or even toasted. To be served as a good appetizer. But also friselle, or those crunchy donuts to be softened with water and always seasoned with tomatoes.
Friselle “were one of the most popular foods during the first millennium – the Gambero Rosso monthly reports – a period in which they represented the meal of the soldiers departing from the South, ideal snack to keep for a long time even during complex trips. In the beginning, two different versions of frisella were prepared: that of durum wheat, reserved for the wealthiest tables and special occasions, and that of barley, prepared by less well-off families “.
In any case, once it was ready “it was moistened with water and then seasoned with olive oil, tomatoes, salt and oregano”. As already pointed out, we are talking about a “poor, peasant food, which has spread mostly in the countryside and among sailors who stocked it up for longer journeys “. And even the ring shape is in fact “due to practical reasons: to carry as much as possible on board, the donuts were strung on a rope so that they could be hung up”.
There are many ways to season friselle and even the most imaginative: with tuna or mackerel, with the addition of olives and capers for those who love Mediterranean flavors. In case, you can also use seasonal vegetables, such as peppers, courgettes and aubergines.
But they can be enriched with spreadable cheese and smoked salmon, but also with octopus and potatoes or crustaceans or, in contrast, with sausage for those who prefer meat. After all, the frisella goes well with everything. It is a base. Therefore, free rein fantasy. There is only the possibility of indulging in creativity and combinations. Even bold …