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The dish
What pallotte cacio e ova are
The meatless balls of the Abruzzo tradition.
Pallotte cacio e ova («cheese and eggs» in dialect) are balls made with stale bread, eggs and grated pecorino, sometimes with a little parmesan or cow’s milk cheese. They are fried and then cooked in tomato sauce, where they become soft as sponges.
They are found all over Abruzzo, but are most at home in the provinces of Pescara and Chieti. They are served as a main course, a starter or in a sandwich.
What you need
Ingredients
Serves 4 (about 16 pallotte).
For the pallotte
- 250 g stale country bread, crusts removed
- 3–4 eggs
- 150 g grated pecorino (or half pecorino, half cow’s milk cheese)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped, parsley
- Milk or water to soak the bread
- Oil for frying
For the sauce
- 700 g tomato passata
- 1 garlic clove or half an onion
- Extra virgin olive oil, salt, basil, chilli
Step by step
Method
- Soak the bread in milk or water for 10 minutes, then squeeze it well and crumble it into a bowl.
- Add the eggs, cheese, garlic and parsley and mix to a soft but firm mixture; if it is too soft, add breadcrumbs or more cheese.
- Shape into walnut-sized balls, slightly flattened.
- Fry them in hot oil until golden on all sides; drain on kitchen paper.
- Make the sauce: fry garlic or onion in oil, add the passata, salt and cook for 15 minutes.
- Put the pallotte in the sauce and cook over low heat for 15–20 minutes, turning gently. Serve with basil.
From our home kitchen
Tips
- Use plenty of cheese: it gives flavour and holds the pallotte together.
- Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 10 minutes before shaping: it is easier to handle.
- They are even better the next day, reheated in their sauce.
Note: there is also a lighter version, with the pallotte cooked directly in the sauce without frying.
Gallery
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
Photo 1: pallotte cacio e ova cooked in Torre de’ Passeri (PE); photo 2: a plate of pallotte in sauce. Credits: Bultro (CC BY-SA 4.0); Cetrone90 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized; the menu icon is also made from photo 1.
Tradition
History and trivia
Pallotte cacio e ova were born in peasant and shepherd cooking, where meat was rare but bread, eggs and sheep’s cheese were always at hand. Leftover bread became a nourishing main course for the whole family.
Today they are one of the best-known dishes of Abruzzo cooking, found at festivals, farm stays and restaurants all over the region.
Did you know? some trattorias also serve pallotte «in bianco», without sauce, freshly fried and hot.