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Panada

17/11/2023

Panada is a traditional Sardinian dish, a sort of closed soup or casserole, generally prepared with bread dough, meat (lamb, fish, or eel according to local variations), potatoes, and herbs. The most common version is with lamb, and I will provide you with this version. However, please be aware that every family and each area may have their own variations.

Ingredients

  • 500 g of bread dough (you can buy the dough already prepared or make it with flour, water, yeast, and a pinch of salt)
  • 800 g of lamb meat (cut into small pieces)
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • A few leaves of mint
  • Meat broth as needed
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper as needed

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the bread dough if you haven’t purchased it ready-made. Knead flour, water, yeast, and salt until the dough is smooth and uniform, then let it rise until it doubles in volume.
  2. Clean and cut the lamb into not too large pieces, then season with salt and pepper.
  3. Peel and cube the potatoes.
  4. Finely chop the onion and garlic and sauté them in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  5. Add the lamb pieces to the sauté and let the meat brown on all sides.
  6. Add the potatoes and aromatic herbs (rosemary and mint), then cover with meat broth and cook until the potatoes start to become tender.
  7. Meanwhile, roll out the bread dough in a uniform layer about half a centimeter thick.
  8. Grease a suitable baking dish and line it with a part of the bread dough.
  9. Pour the lamb with the potatoes and their sauce inside, then cover everything with another layer of bread dough, sealing the edges to close the panada.
  10. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about an hour or until the crust becomes golden and crispy.
  11. Let it rest a few minutes before serving.

Panada can be customized with different types of meats or even fish, and aromatic herbs according to personal taste and local tradition. It’s a very flavorful dish that incorporates the rustic and genuine flavors of the Sardinian countryside.