🧀 Canederli al Bitto with Bacon and Melted Butter: Valtellinese Recipe
The canederli al Bitto are a classic of rustic Valtellinese cuisine: a unique and flavorful dish, perfect for warming the heart and stomach on cold days 🥶🍲. Made with stale bread, eggs, aged Bitto, smoked bacon, and mountain herbs, these bread dumplings are served with melted butter, sage, and plenty of grated cheese. A traditional comfort food, nutritious and irresistible!
📝 Ingredients for 4 people:
- 500 g of stale bread
- 100 g of grated aged Bitto
- 5 tablespoons of flour
- 100 g of smoked bacon
- 4 eggs
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 1 handful of sage leaves
- 150 g of butter
- 2 dl of milk
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
👩🍳 Preparation:
- Beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
- Cut the bread into cubes and let it soak for about 20 minutes in the egg and milk mixture, stirring occasionally.
- Finely chop the onion and parsley, cut the bacon into pieces and sauté everything in a pan over low heat with a drizzle of oil.
- Add the sautéed mixture and the flour to the bread mixture, adjusting with salt and pepper.
- Mix everything well until you get a soft but compact dough.
- If too soft, add a bit of flour.
- If too dry, drizzle with a bit of oil.
- With wet hands, shape into balls the size of a tangerine.
- Cook the canederli in boiling salted water until they float to the surface (a few minutes).
- Serve them hot, drizzled with melted butter with sage and a generous sprinkle of grated Bitto.
🔁 Waste reduction tip:
If there are leftovers, slice them the next day and sauté them in hot oil: they will become golden and crispy on the outside, soft inside. A delight!
📚 Source: Book "Rustic Flavors of Valtellina"
📷 The image of the dishes is purely indicative and does not necessarily correspond exactly to the recipe.
