Recipe ~ Pappa al Pomodoro

Tomato Bread Soup

"Give me your tired bread, your hungry masses yearning to eat, and I will make them this delicious soup!"

Found during my holiday travel to Tuscany, this recipe makes great use of a household staple living beyond its freshest of days; stale bread. The end result? A delicious dish that will warm the belly.

This recipe was inspired by Gabriella's Journal; a book celebrating aromas and flavors from the rustic culture of Tuscany.

~ ~ ~  PAPPA AL POMODORO ~ ~ ~

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons | olive oil
2-3 | garlic cloves, cut into small pieces
1 | celery stick, chopped into small pieces
3-4 (1¾ cups) | fresh tomatoes, chopped (tomatoes may also be peeled)
6-8 | basil leaves, torn by hand into small pieces
to taste | salt
to taste  | pepper
2¼ cups | boiling water
1½-2 cups | stale bread, cut into bite-sized squares
to garnish  | a fresh basil leaf for each serving
to garnish  | parmigiano-reggiano cheese, shredded

What To Do:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, the garlic cloves and the chopped celery. Stir until the garlic is soft and add the chopped tomatoes, the basil leaves, salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes.

2. Pour in the boiling water and fold-in the stale bread. Boil, covered, for about 40 minutes over a very low heat, gently stirring occasionally.

3. Serve soup hot in a bowl and top with a basil leaf and some shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Yields: 3-4 Servings

Tip:

If you don't have any 2-3 day old stale bread, you can cut fresh bread into bite-sized squares and place into your oven for a few minutes at 225°F until crunchy. Do not use soft bread for this recipe!


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