Torta di Pane al Cioccolato

This crumbly chocolate-studded cake is the best use for stale bread and forgotten cookies that we can think of. Developed initially by chef Francesco Vincenzi for the food-insecurity-fighting efforts of the Refettorio Ghirlandia community kitchen, this recipe swaps out the flour or almond meal you’d expect in a cake for pulverized dried bread. Chopped cookies (Vincenzi uses Italian amaretti, but any dry wafer-like cookie works well here) and chocolate are then folded into the batter, which is flavored with anise-infused cream. Of course, if you don’t have stale bread, you can still make this cake: Just bake your fresh slices in a 250° oven until crisp and parched, about 20 minutes.