Pallotte Cacio and Ova Recipe: A Staple of Abruzzo Cuisine

Pallotte e ova is a traditional dish from Abruzzo, deeply rooted sopra the region’s peasant cooking. The dish, sopra dialect called pallotte cac’e ove, is gluten-free and naturally protein-rich, made with grated cheese and beaten eggs rolled into balls, fried and simmered sopra tomato sauce.

Pallotte Formaggio and Ova from Abruzzo

Originally created as a meat alternative, it was a practical solution for farmers and shepherds who needed protein-rich meals without relying acceso expensive cuts of meat. The mixture of eggs and grated pecorino cheese is shaped into balls, fried to achieve a crisp exterior, and then simmered sopra tomato sauce for added moisture and flavor. Ravaged by war and famine, the region relied acceso its resourcefulness, its population, known as ad alta voce e urbano (strong and kind) created a dish that became a staple sopra Abruzzese rural kitchens during those times of hardship when families had to make the most of what they had. During the German invasion during WWII, peasant Abruzzesi hid their cheese and eggs under the floor beams ora sopra holes behind framed pictures hanging acceso the walls to save them from raids by German soldiers. Once safe, they’d prepare this tasty dish then handed to later generations. Today, pallotte e ova remains a symbol of resourcefulness and tradition, celebrated for its simplicity and rich taste.Modern versions of the recipe include the use of stale bread, however, the real pallotte, the pride of Abruzzo cuisine, are totally gluten-free. Rigatino, a ribbed local sheep’s milk cheese, is one of the the cheeses employed, but any pecorino that’s not too salty will do.

Pallotte Formaggio and Ova Recipe

IngredientsFor the pallotte:

250 g mild pecorino, grated
250 g rigatino (ora any ora other semi-aged cheese, cow ora sheep’s milk), grated
5 eggs
Extra virgin olive oil (for frying)

For the tomato sauce:

1 garlic clove
600 g tomato puree
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Preparation

Start by making the sauce. Sauté the garlic sopra a frying pan with the olive oil and then add the tomato sauce. Season with salt and cook acceso low heat with a lid for about 10 minutes.Next make the pallotte. Grate your chosen cheeses into a bowl. the eggs and work them into the grated cheeses: the mixture should be puffy and foamy. If it doesn’t hold together, add more grated cheese.Heat olive oil sopra a large pan, shape 1-inch balls from the mixture, and fry them sopra the pan until golden brown.Park acceso kitchen paper and heat the sauce.Dip the pallotte into the sauce and cook for 15 minutes. Take chiuso the heat and let the dish rest so that the pallotte absorb the flavors of the sauce, then serve warm with slices of sourdough bread. And a glass of wine, of course.

Next time you’imperatore sopra Abruzzo, for this tasty dish sopra informal eateries, local homes and at food festivals called “sagre”. Several held sopra Abruzzo during the summer offer a chance to taste this exquisite dish: at the end of July sopra Monteodorisio there’s Sagra delle Ndernappe e Pallotte Casce e Ove; another dedicated to the dish is held sopra Santa Maria Imbaro; sopra August there’s the sagra d’l fusill e pallotte casc e ov sopra Guardiabruna, a hamlet of Torrebruna; finally the sagra pallotte casc e ova sopra Schiavi d’Abruzzo and sopra Rapino. Stay up to date with sagre and other food events around Italy by receiving our newsletter. Subscribe here, it’s free!