Sardinian recipes First courses

Zuppa Gallurese
(Suppa cuata)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

one and a half kilos of stale bread (2–3 days old)
one and a half kilos of mixed meats (mutton and beef)
two or three onions (depending on size)
one and a half kilos of fresh cow’s cheese (“panedda”)
a nice bunch of parsley (half for the broth and half to mix with the cheese)
half a sachet of Saporita (mixed spice seasoning)
50 g of lard
tomato paste
salt and water

Preparation:

Place the meat in a pot with cold water (it is useful to know that, to obtain a more flavourful broth, the ingredients must always be added to cold water and without salt).
Prepare the broth with the meat, tomato paste and the aromatics (the 2 onions and half of the parsley).
Halfway through cooking, add the tomato paste and salt (to taste).
In the meantime, grease the baking tray (for 8 servings) with the lard.
Cut half of the fresh cheese into thin slices and put it in the fridge.
Grate the remaining half of the cheese and mix it with the Saporita (or Suk) and the finely chopped parsley.
Strain the broth (after about two hours of cooking) and let it cool slightly. Taste it and check that it is nicely flavourful and salted to the right point.
Lay down a first layer of bread (slices not too thick) and moisten with two or three ladles of broth.
Place the slices of fresh cheese on top of the bread and sprinkle with the seasoned grated cheese.
Continue with a second layer of bread, moisten, sprinkle with grated cheese and add the slices of fresh cheese.
Assemble the soup with three alternating layers of bread and cheese, moistening each layer with broth.
Finish the dish with plenty of grated cheese so as to create a nice crust.
A very important thing to check is the consistency. Using a fork, make sure there are no dry parts and, on the other hand, that there is not too much broth. The whole mixture should be compact and well moistened.
Put the tray into a preheated oven at 180 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes.

Curiosities

In ancient times the soup was prepared as an important first course on the occasion of weddings or major festivities (Easter, the Patron Saint’s day, etc.). In other areas of Gallura (for example Aggius, Trinità d’Agultu) “la fresa” was used to prepare the soup, a thin flatbread typical of Upper Gallura and Logudoro.

Zuppa gallurese is a dish that lends itself to small variations and has always been the subject of various claims. Since ancient times, in fact, each “stazzo” considered its own recipe to be unique and original. The one we offer here is the recipe from our family’s “stazzo”. Our grandmothers made the broth with onions, parsley and tomato paste (always homemade), adding the meat (which could be chicken, beef, mutton or goat) depending on what was available (when there was any). In the countryside, in our grandparents’ days, as we know, there were no refrigerators and meat was not an everyday food.
You can also make a delicious vegetarian Zuppa gallurese. In this case, prepare the broth with onions, parsley, some celery (note, it is an allergen) and some wild fennel.
You can also prepare Zuppa gallurese in a gluten free version (naturally using gluten-free bread and taking care to use utensils and work surfaces that are not contaminated with gluten).
Finally, you can prepare a vegan version of Zuppa gallurese, perfect also for those who are intolerant to dairy products. Just make a good vegetable broth (see the broth for the vegetarian version) and replace the cow’s cheese with a vegan “mozzarella”.