Šnite is a traditional Slovenian sweet treat or budget-friendly breakfast, similar to what is known as French toast. This recipe is very easy and simple to make, and a great way to use leftover bread. It is delicious and very comforting.

The idea behind it is that slices of stale bread are dipped into a sweet egg and milk mixture and then pan-fried in a bit of melted butter until golden in colour and crispy, then topped with a simple dusting of vanilla flavoured icing sugar.

This French toast style recipe seems modern, especially when served with fresh fruit and drizzled with honey or maple syrup. However, there is nothing modern about it, the origin of the dish goes back to the Roman times and carried its success to the Middle Ages when bread was scarce and far too precious to be waste.

This much-loved dish has been given different names, but the common idea is to rescue bread that's past its best. In fact, in France, this dish is called Pain perdu, meaning, "the lost loaf of bread", and there is a German version of Arme Ritter, which translates to "poor knights."

The success of this dish is making sure that the bread is at least two or three days old; fresh bread absorbs too much of the egg mixture, and it becomes very soft, soggy and starts falling apart.

In Slovenia this sweet treat is known as ocvrti kruh, most commonly called kruhove rezine or pohane šnite; however, most Slovenian households would refer to this dish simply as šnite, word of German origin, meaning a "slice."

I am sharing here my maternal grandmother's recipe, that is very close to my heart, so you can try and make this authentic Slovenian šnite at home.

Recipe

Ingredients

4-6 thick slices of stale bread (at least 2-3 days old)
200 ml milk (semi-skimmed or whole)
2 eggs
1 Tsp vanilla extract
icing sugar or vanilla flavoured icing sugar, for dusting
butter, for frying

Method

Put the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract into a bowl or a jar and whisk together.

Pour the egg mixture into a shallow dish or a plate.Dip the bread slices into the mixture until saturated on both sides. Make sure you don't leave them soaking for too long as they will become soggy and fall apart.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, add a knob of butter and let it melt completely.Cook the slices on each side until golden and crisp. It should take about 2 minutes per side.

The inside should stay soft and custurdy.

Plate the šnite and dust with icing sugar, serve and enjoy warm.

Panada is a bread soup that has porridge like consistency, it is smooth and delicate in flavour, it is perfect for colder months as it is filling, and great when you want to use up and recycle all that stale bread you are not quite sure what to do with it.

It is similar to other types of soups, where stale bread is used as a main ingredient, like Soupe valpellinentze (Valle d'Aosta), Suppa cauta from the Italian island of Sardegna and Tuscan Pancotto (pancotto literally meaning cooked bread) just to mention a few.

In all honesty, this dish would not quite qualify to fall into a category of the most appealing of dishes at a first glance. The recipe for this soup only calls for three main ingredients, stale bread, broth or stock and extra virgin olive oil, and the success of this dish, as it is so simple, really lies in using exceptionally good quality ingredients.

It is hard to imagine that this incredibly humble soup that fed the poorest of the poor was created in today's one of the wealthiest regions of Italy, Veneto. This was not always the case as Veneto used to be one of the least prosperous regions of Italy where people had to be incredibly resourceful and creative with the ingredients they had. This is the dish that older generations, including my nona, remembers with both great fondness and melancholy, as it was prepared very often in their youth, during the World War II, but also during the years that followed.It was ideal for small children and the elderly, and it was traditionally also prepared during the Lent.

My nona shared with me that in Slovenian Istra, Panada (without the use of cheese) used to be a common site on the dinner tables. This would come as no surprise as this part of land used to be ruled by the Serenissima, ‘The most Serene Republic of Venice,’ which significantly shaped the gastronomic habits in this region.

Nowadays, Panada is one of those dishes that most of the younger generation have never heard of or even never tasted. This is an almost forgotten dish, in this day and age, it is a rarely cooked soup in homes, and most certainly not offered, or found on the menus in restaurants.

I am sharing here this much treasured family recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

400g stale bread (rustic type of loaf is particularly indicated)
extra virgin olive oil, a generous drizzle or to taste, and some extra to serve
1.5 litre beef, chicken or vegetable broth (preferably homemade but you can use a really good quality store bought stock)
sea salt
black pepper
grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese, to serve, optional (you can use any hard cheese you like)

Method

Thinly slice stale loaf of bread.

Place the slices in a pan in layers.

Cover with beef, chicken or vegetable warm broth or stock, and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.

Leave to stand for about 40 minutes and allow the bread to thoroughly absorb the liquid.

Place the pan on a stove and cook on a very gentle heat for about 45 minutes stirring quite frequently but gently.

When is fully cooked you should end up with a smooth, creamy and velvety bread soup.

Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Serve hot with grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese or other type of hard cheese of your preference, optional, and a drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Just a thought

If you want to make this recipe intentionally, and not because of the left over bread, you can also buy a fresh rustic loaf from the shop and keep it out until it dries a bit, and then use it.

Šnite, French Toast Style Slovenian Recipe

Recipe

Method

Panada - Venetian Style Bread Soup Recipe

Recipe

Ingredients

Method

Just a thought