Accussi Sicilian Bread Dumplings Food

ACCUSSI (SICILIAN BREAD DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Soak the bread in the milk until soft. Squeeze out as much milk as possible and discard milk.
• Add egg, herbs, cheese, flour, salt and pepper to bread. Mix until it forms a dough; it will be quite sticky. Add more flour if needed, but do not add too much, nor overwork the dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle about 1/4" thick.
• Cut into squares 1/2-3/4" in size. Make a small indentation in each piece with your thumb. Spread on baking trays and set aside while making the sauce.
• Drain and reserve juice from tomatoes. Crush tomatoes with your hand in a bowl.
• Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add pancetta and saute until beginning to brown. Add garlic, onion, and red pepper flake; saute until onion softens and garlic is fragrant.
• Add thyme or oregano and tomatoes; cook until tomatoes begin to brown. Deglaze with red wine and cook until wine reduces by half. Add reserved tomato juice and water; simmer until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, add dumplings to boiling salted water in batches. When they rise to the surface, cook 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon or spider, and transfer to a bowl. Add a little sauce and toss to coat, then prepare the next batch of dumplings.
• Finish each serving with a little more sauce. Top with basil, cheese and parsley.