"Pappa al pomodoro" (Tuscan tomato soup) is a traditional Tuscan cuisine soup. The poor but genuine ingredients and the savory seasoning make this dish delicious whether it is eaten hot in winter or cold in summer.
Stale bread, strictly "silly", ripe tomatoes, garlic and the aroma of basil, the recipe is simple. There are those who bathe the bread with the broth, those who squeeze it, those who rub it with garlic and those who cover the slices with the sauce and the broth together.
I do it like this:
Ingredients for 4 people
- 300 grams of stale Tuscan bread
- 500 grams of ripe tomatoes
- garlic
- basil q.b.
- 1 liter of vegetable broth
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper (or chilli)
Tuscan tomato soup recipe (Pappa al pomodoro)
The first thing to prepare is the vegetable broth: an onion, two carrots and a stalk of celery will suffice. Do it in time, the vegetables must boil a little to release the flavor.
While the broth is boiling the tomatoes for a few seconds and then throw them in water and ice. Remove the peel (which will come off like nothing) and the seeds. Make a nice diced meat. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large saucepan, with 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.
When the garlic has browned, it is time to add the tomato and raise the heat. Cook the sauce for a few minutes, add salt and cover with a lid.
Cut the stale bread into pieces and let it soften in the still hot vegetable broth. Wait until the rind is well soaked, then squeeze it slightly and add the bread to the tomato sauce.
Stir for at least 15 minutes, until the crumb has almost disappeared and the "jelly" begins to take shape. Should it be too dry, simply dilute with a ladle of broth.
When cooked, add a generous handful of basil (I recommend .... broken with your hands!) And let it rest for an hour.
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and, if you like, a little chilli pepper.
Yummy!
