Pane frattau — Sardinian bread layers with tomatoes and egg

Divide all 240 g carasau into four portions of 60 g. Break the sheets into large pieces and keep the smaller fragments too. Finely grate the cheese, weigh out 60 g edible cheese without rind, and allocate 15 g to each serving. Chop the onion very finely and tear all the basil leaves. Have four small bowls ready for cracking the eggs.

Heat all 20 g olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add all 80 g onion and cook for about 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until soft and translucent. Do not brown it heavily, and do not drain off the oil. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining dishes and utensils so you can assemble and serve quickly later.

Pour all the passata into the onion, then add the 3 g salt and all 4 g torn basil leaves. Stir and cook over low heat for about 15–20 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly but stays fluid enough to coat the bread. Stir along the bottom. Do not strain the sauce, and do not remove the onion or basil; all the sauce will be used. Keep it hot while building the layers.

Weigh 1000 g water into a wide vessel and heat until hot but not at a rolling boil. Separately, prepare about 2 l unsalted water for the eggs in a wide pot or deep frying pan, about 28 cm in diameter. Warm four deep plates with warm water, then pour it away and dry the plates. The egg water is not the bread bath.

Working briskly, dip the carasau pieces into the warm bath only briefly, then lift them out immediately with a spatula, letting excess water drain away. The bread should be flexible, not falling apart. On each plate, build three layers using all the allocated 60 g bread, alternating with hot sauce and a total of 15 g cheese per serving. Use every fragment and all the sauce and cheese; do not pour the remaining bath onto the plates.

Crack one egg into each small bowl, keeping all the whites and yolks. Bring the separate egg water to a gentle simmer and reduce the heat until it barely trembles. Slide the eggs into four separate places in the wide vessel, without making a vortex. Cook for about 4–5 minutes, until the whites are completely set and the yolks stay soft. Do not let the water bubble vigorously.

Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon and let them drain briefly over the pot. Put one egg on each of the four assembled servings. Do not pour the egg cooking water into the sauce or onto the bread. Each serving contains all its allocated bread, sauce and cheese and one egg; the remaining dipping water and process water are not served.

Serve pane frattau straight away while the sauce, bread and eggs are still hot. Cut into the yolk as you eat so it mixes with the tomatoes and pecorino. This dish is meant to be eaten immediately after preparation: the moistened sheets become softer over time. If preparing components ahead, keep the cooled sauce refrigerated, and moisten the bread and poach the eggs just before serving.