Gris-sigh-ni - what to do with Italian breadsticks?

[Elster]

Hello all,

My grandmother keeps going off to Italy and bringing back a huge hamper of Italian foods for us when she returns. This is very kind of her, but she only ever gets the sort of very cheap and boring foods that you don't really salivate about when you think of Italian delicacies! Lots of drrrrryyyy biscuits and pasta shapes. But the main problem is the enormous sacks of grissini (those very thin breadsticks) that she always gives us. We have thousands of packs of grissini just lying about because we don't even like them - they're a bit too bland and boring to really be worth eating, too thin to be a decent dip-scooper, and they don't really fit with many other things apart from as a cheap party snack. So I'm wondering: does anyone have any ideas for how they could be used or cooked with so that they're not going to waste? Perhaps they could be used in place of panko breadcrumbs or something? Be creative about it :)

[ipsedixit]

Tiramisu

[Elster]

...how?

[ipsedixit]

Use them instead of the more traditional ladyfingers as your base.

[Cheese Boy]

Just like Nutella & Go, dip the Grissini into to the Nutella, and uhh, go. : - )

Look --> http://ansam518.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/recommended-nutella-go/

Nonna Maria Does La Spesa also --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXfyRb...

[westaust]

Grissini and butter! I loved those when I was a kid (and still do, just never think about buying them)

As for an idea, cover them with parmesan and bake it, should make them less boring

[chowser]

You could wrap prosciutto or bacon around them and bake. There are a lot of variations to that--adding cheese, something sweet like fig jam, ricotta and honey dip after.

[Harters]

We buy grissini regularly and make them less regularly. We eat them "as is" - just as you get them in restaurants in Italy. Sorry that you find them to bland and boring to eat - maybe just feed them to the birds, then.

[Elster]

Sorry, I didn't mean that in a judgemental way or anything - it's just that when we have breadsticks we love the ones encrusted in sesame seeds or poppy seeds etc, we're hedonistic like that ;P It just seems a shame to waste them since they've come all the way from Italy...

[dianne0712]

My first thought was breadcrumbs, but not just when you need crispy ones. Put them in meatballs or meatloaf or anything that needs breading. I have a jalepeno popper dip recipe that uses crispy breadcrumbs on top. Oherwise I have used them at parties for cocktail snacks. Spread some proscuitto with herbed cream cheese and wrap the grissini with it so it goes the full length with just an end left to pick it up by.