Bread is almost always an after thought, or just a lonely roll at the dinner table for butter or oil. But with Pani Cunzatu, a Sicilian cousin to bruschetta, bread becomes the entire meal. Traditionally, Pani Cunzatu is made from a loaf of fresh baked Pane Nero di Castelvetrano, a bread whose essence is a a stone ground heritage flour.

If you’re as lucky as I’ve been to learn to bake this kind of bread, and you have one straight from your hearth oven, just follow these steps to make Pani Cunzatu.  While the loaf is just hot from the oven, it’s split horizontally and doused with nocerella olive oil, then covered with anchovies, garlic and tomato and the two split pieces pressed together and sliced. Enjoy with a rosatto wine or even a white wine. It’s bonta, (goodness).