Pané Frattau

Cut the fresh tomatoes into pieces, then place fresh or canned tomatoes in a medium-sized saucepan with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and the basil leaves; simmer for 15 minutes.

Pass contents of pan through a food mill, using the disc with the smallest holes, into a crockery or glass bowl. Return the strained sauce to the saucepan and reduce for 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

Set the carta da musica bread, 1 sheet at a time, on a large serving platter, pour 1 cup of the broth over it and let soak for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer each bread sheet onto an individual dish.

Pour 1/4 of the still very warm tomato sauce over each sheet and spread it out with a ladle. Fold the overhanging pieces of the bread inward to reproduce the shape of the dish itself. Follow this procedure with all 4 sheets of bread.

Place a medium-sized saucepan with 3 cups of cold water over medium heat. When the water reaches a boil, add salt to taste and the wine vinegar. Break 1 egg in the water and carefully, using a small spoon, fold the white over the egg yolk; simmer for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the uovo in camicia (poached egg) onto the bread and tomato sauce of one of the dishes. Repeat the same procedure with the other 3 eggs.

Sprinkle abundant grated cheese over the 4 portions and serve.

• The versatile unleavened Sardinian flatbread pane carasau (carta da musica in Italian) is often used as a foundation for other dishes. In pane frattau, the normally crisp sheets are softened using broth, and transformed into a lasagna noodle of sorts, supporting layers of tomato sauce and pecorino cheese.• Thanks to Sardinia's robust sheep population, pecorino — a sharp cheese made from sheep's milk — has been an island staple for centuries, often in the form of fiore Sardo ("flower of Sardinia"). In 1996, Pecorino Sardo — a modern descendent of fiore Sardo — received a European DOP classification ("protected-origin product"), ensuring its quality and provenance. (The cheese even has its own official Web site, www.pecorinosardo.it, as does fiore Sardo, www.fioresardo.it.) Pecorino Sardo comes in two main varieties: fresh and ripened. The fresh version has a smooth white rind, a soft inner texture, and a mild flavor. Ripened (or "mature") Pecorino Sardo, used in this recipe, has a thicker, darker rind, a firm and grainy interior, and a sharp flavor.

Reprinted with permission from Foods of Sicily & Sardinia by Giuliano Bugialli©1996Rizzoli New York