Some readers may remember that I am a huge fan of Lidia Matticchio Bastianich; when watching her prepare food on PBS or reading her cookbooks I feel like my grandmother is present. Lately, however, I haven't been going to her pages for recipe inspiration because I've been trying to avoid processed foods that contain white flour and refined sugars, of which pasta is guilty on all counts. But the memory of my utter taste-delight after eating one of her dishes called, Cavatelli with Bread Crumbs, Pancetta and Cauliflower, kept popping up in my mind, telling me I had to revisit it in some way.
While perusing the recipe's ingredient list, I looked at the innocent-sounding bread crumbs. I've used them hundreds of times before in recipes, but today I hesitated. As I read the Nutrition Facts, I was startled to find that 1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs contain 400mg of sodium! The Italian-style bread crumbs contain 450mg in the same 1/4 cup. Yikes. I knew an alternative was in order...and preparing fresh bread crumbs on the spot is not always feasible. As I meandered the aisles at the supermarket I found an alternative: baked brown rice crumbs. There is only one ingredient listed on the box (versus around 20 or so ingredients listed on the bread crumb can, many of which are too lengthy to pronounce). The baked brown rice crumbs can be used in all the same preparations one might need bread crumbs, and only contain about 10mg of sodium in a 1/4 cup serving. That sounded much more reasonable to me, so I bought a box.
The remainder of the recipe's ingredients are not entirely innocuous, but fresh cauliflower and onions are nice, and I added in a can of chick peas because I think they taste good. Instead of serving the sauce over pasta, I used cooked farro, a grain of wheat species typically grown in the Garfagnana region of Tuscany. Since Lida's recipes bring a taste of Italy to our homes, I felt farro was in the right spirit. As it turns out, when I added the farro to the sauce and allowed it to simmer a bit for the flavors to get to know each other, no crumbs were needed at all. Farro did the job of absorbing liquid and thickening the sauce. And my taste buds were happily satisfied because the new version of the recipe was just as mouth-watering as my memory of the original.
While perusing the recipe's ingredient list, I looked at the innocent-sounding bread crumbs. I've used them hundreds of times before in recipes, but today I hesitated. As I read the Nutrition Facts, I was startled to find that 1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs contain 400mg of sodium! The Italian-style bread crumbs contain 450mg in the same 1/4 cup. Yikes. I knew an alternative was in order...and preparing fresh bread crumbs on the spot is not always feasible. As I meandered the aisles at the supermarket I found an alternative: baked brown rice crumbs. There is only one ingredient listed on the box (versus around 20 or so ingredients listed on the bread crumb can, many of which are too lengthy to pronounce). The baked brown rice crumbs can be used in all the same preparations one might need bread crumbs, and only contain about 10mg of sodium in a 1/4 cup serving. That sounded much more reasonable to me, so I bought a box.
The remainder of the recipe's ingredients are not entirely innocuous, but fresh cauliflower and onions are nice, and I added in a can of chick peas because I think they taste good. Instead of serving the sauce over pasta, I used cooked farro, a grain of wheat species typically grown in the Garfagnana region of Tuscany. Since Lida's recipes bring a taste of Italy to our homes, I felt farro was in the right spirit. As it turns out, when I added the farro to the sauce and allowed it to simmer a bit for the flavors to get to know each other, no crumbs were needed at all. Farro did the job of absorbing liquid and thickening the sauce. And my taste buds were happily satisfied because the new version of the recipe was just as mouth-watering as my memory of the original.
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| A shout-out goes to Mom for the gift of this DREAMY pan! |
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