TUSCAN TOMATO BREAD SOUP
Tuscan tomato bread soup called in Italian "Pappa al pomodoro" was the traditional poor Tuscan's farmers recipe made up with stale bread leftovers.
It's tasty, quick, cheap and useful when there was too much staled bread and those farmers would had never thrown all to the hens in the farmyard.
Nowdays you can find sometimes this Tuscan recipe on menus of small homestyle restaurants with traditional Italian cuisine named "trattorie".
Better is that stale bread isn't nesesary if you don't have it at home. Instaed make this "pappa al pomodoro" with a few slices of oven-dried Tuscan style homemade bread as you can see in the ingredients' picture below.
Tuscan tomato bread soup is suitable for all the year long. Excellent as a hot soup winter recipe and equally inviting and tasty at room temperature as a summer recipe.
Here's the traditional tuscan "Pappa al pomodoro", but there are many possible
variations as often
happens with simple dishes. They undergone small variations according to
personal taste applied by each family. Such as, for example, the
addition of a
sauté of onions or leeks, or made with the classic Italian "soffritto": onions, carrots and celery.
NOTE
If you don't have fresh tomatoes available go naturally for the canned crushed or puree ones. Good quality extra virgin olive oil and in summer fresh fragrant basil.
Finaly before serving if you arn't vegan you can add instead of raw olive oil some grated Tuscan "Pecorino" cheese.
Ingredients
Recipe:
Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup
INGREDIENTS: serves 4
- 28 oz (800g) fresh tomatoes or canned puree or crushed
- 10 oz (300g) fresh homemade bread or stale
- 3 tbsp (50 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 qt (1 lt) vegetable broth
- 1 small chilli or chilli flakes (optional)
- 1 small bunch of basil leaves
- 1 pinch of salt & pepper
INTRUCTIONS:
- The first thing to make is 1 qt (1 lt) of fresh vegetable broth. For ease made with 2 vegetable broth cubes as I did.
- Cut about 7/10 thin slices of homemade bread. Now this can be fresh or stale as avialable.
- Take a dripping-pan and the slices of bread, place them beside each other without overlapping.
- Warm-up your oven to 390°F (200°C) put the dripping-pan in for about 2 minutes until the bread turns of a golden brown. Remove and let the slices cool down...
- At this point peel the garlic cloves and rub them over the bread. If two cloves aren't enough use more because here you'll need some strong garlic taste.
- Use a deep pot or pan to hold the bread and tomatoes in. Add first the slices of bread and then pour over the tomatoes. They could be summer's fresh peeled and then crushed. Canned crushed or canned puree. Add a small or half chilli or even a few chilli flakes go well. How much will depend on your personal taste.
- It's time now to add the vegetable broth that you have previously made until all the bread is coverd. Add the extra virgin olive oil and let it cook for about 40/50 minutes stiring often to form a mushed bread soup.
- Adjust with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish the plates with the basil leaves. Add some extra raw olive oil before serving for a vegetarian, vegan recipe.
