Stale bread has never tasted so good, or been presented with such finesse, as in this dish—a delicious transformation, another fabulous way to use up yesterday’s bread. Shaped into passatelli and combined with a good chicken stock, leftovers are transformed into an Italian classic.

　　

Ingredients

serves 8

　　2 quarts chicken stock (see preceding recipe)

　　1 cup fine dry bread crumbs

　　1/2 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

　　Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

　　2 large eggs

　　

Step 1

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a soup pot.

　　

Step 2

Put the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and nutmeg in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine the dry ingredients, then add the lemon zest. Increase the speed to medium, and add the eggs one at a time, continuing to mix until everything comes together to form a thick dough.

　　

Step 3

To make the passatelli, switch to the meat-grinder mixer attachment with the largest-holed die (or set up a countertop meat grinder). Push the dough through the grinder, cutting with a knife into 2-to-3-inch strands as they come out the other end of the grinder. Lay strands on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and continue until all of the dough is used.

　　

Step 4

Once all the dough is used, drop the passatelli into the simmering stock, and stir. Simmer until the strands are cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Ladle out bowls of passatelli and broth, passing more grated cheese for serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.