Pappa al Pomodoro

The GRANNUS Team

Pappa al Pomodoro is one of Tuscany’s simplest and most delicious gifts to an already rich cuisine offering. It’s not only easy to make, but it saves stale bread from the trash bin (it tastes so good you might find yourself leaving bread out just so it can go stale and be upcycled into Pappa al Pomodoro!)

Ingredients

1 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices stale bread (hearty baked loaves are the best, crust included–can be ciabatta, French baguette, French loaf, or anything similar)
4 large tomatoes, blanched and peeled (can substitute 6 Roma tomatoes, blanched and peeled, or 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes with their sauce)
1-1.5 cups vegetable broth
6-8 medium-to-large basil leaves
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Tools

Prep:

Remove outer layer of onion
Dice onion to ½ inch size
Mince garlic cloves if not using prepared
Tear basil leaves into ¼” – ½” pieces

Directions:

Heat olive oil in the pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and optional crushed red pepper, cook 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent. Heat should be low enough that the onions become soft and colorless but be careful not to burn–lower the heat if the edges start to brown.
Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth. Smush the tomatoes with the wooden spoon as they cook.
Once the tomatoes are no longer whole, add the bread and half of the basil and cook for 10 minutes more. Stir regularly to help the bread break down into the broth.
- Depending on the type of bread used, you may need to add additional broth to achieve the desired soup consistency; add ¼ cup at a time as needed.
Season well with salt and pepper to your desired taste.
Serve warm, topped with the remaining basil and a little extra drizzle of olive oil.
Serve and enjoy!