Pitta catanzarese
Pitta catanzarese is a low, wheel-shaped bread with little crumb. Split it for Morzello so that the cut bread can take up some sauce around the hot offal filling.
- Place
- Catanzaro, Calabria.
- Shape
- A low ring or flattened wheel.
- Use
- Split and filled with Morzello.
Prepare the bread while the stew finishes
Set the bread on a clean board away from raw offal. Divide it into the serving portions, then split each portion horizontally. Keep the cuts controlled so that the filled bread can still be picked up and eaten.
A bread built into the serving
Morzello and pitta meet at the moment of serving. The low wheel shape and small amount of crumb distinguish this bread for the filling. Cut portions from the ring and open them as directed, keeping enough bread together to hold the stew.
Fill just before serving
Follow the Morzello recipe for moistening the cut bread with sauce and adding the hot filling. Assemble the portions at the table’s pace. Bread soaked far ahead becomes harder to handle as it takes up more sauce.
Cook with it
Ask for the Catanzaro bread
Look for pitta catanzarese, the low ring bread used with Morzello. Tell the baker how you will fill it and ask for a suitable loaf. The name identifies this local bread form; pocket pita and sweet filled pastries are different preparations.
Keep the bread separate until filling
Follow the baker’s or pack’s storage advice. Keep unfilled bread wrapped and protected from splashes, separate from raw ingredients. Prepare only the portions you will fill immediately, leaving the rest covered.
