Cac’e’ove
An explosion of flavor
It is the simplest yet most flavorful and characteristic recipe of Vasto’s gastronomy. Moreover, it is a dish traditionally prepared in families and rarely found in restaurants. For many Vasto locals of a certain age, it inevitably brings back childhood memories.
The dish consists of meatballs (called ‘pallotte’) made with stale bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, and grated pecorino cheese, served in a sauce made with onions, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. This is a typical winter dish, best enjoyed piping hot with some crusty homemade bread to soak up the sauce. It pairs perfectly with Cerasuolo wine, a rosé made from Montepulciano grapes, which is typical of the Abruzzo countryside.
Cac’e’ove is widespread throughout the lower Chieti area. The difference between the Vasto recipe and those of other towns is that in Vasto, the “pallotte” are “dropped” into the sauce, meaning they are prepared and directly cooked in the pan, while in the surrounding countryside, they are first fried in olive oil, which gives them not only a different texture but also a distinct flavor.
Cac’e’ove is also used as a filling in many extraordinary family recipes, including stuffed artichokes, stuffed chicken, stuffed lamb, stuffed cuttlefish, and more. In Vasto’s gastronomy, practically everything can be filled with cac’e’ove! Thus, a humble recipe that is said to have originated during wartime, using whatever could be hidden in rural homes, has become the basis for many festive dishes that have delighted the people of Vasto for decades.
