Pomodoro Papa

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg tomatoes, ripe, aromatic, also different varieties mixed
• 300 g white bread, stale, e.g. ciabatta or simple rolls
• 2 onions
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 liter vegetable broth, maybe a little more
• 1 bunch of basil
• 200 ml white wine
• 100 ml tomato paste
• 50 ml olive oil
• 100 g Parmesan
• Salt
• pepper
• Sugar
• lemon juice

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Tuscan tomato bread soup

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the peeled and finely chopped onions. Crush the garlic and sauté for a few minutes, but do not allow it to brown. Finely dice the tomatoes and add them to the onions along with the tomato paste. Sauté for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble the white bread and add it to the pot. Pour in enough vegetable stock to cover everything. Press the bread down with a wooden spoon or potato masher and mix everything briefly. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently with the lid almost closed for 30 minutes. Stir the soup bottom occasionally, as it is very thick and will otherwise stick. If the soup reduces too much, simply add a little more stock. The soup should be very thick, roughly the consistency of baby food. After about 30 minutes, season the soup with salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice, and white wine. Don’t add all the white wine at once, but start with a little and then increase the amount according to your taste. Experience has shown me that the soup can handle about 200 ml of wine. Chop the basil and add it to the soup, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Sprinkle the soup with plenty of Parmesan cheese and garnish with basil leaves. The soup also tastes great the next day, once it’s fully marinated. You can also use fresher white bread, but keep in mind that it weighs more than stale bread, so you’ll need a bit more to achieve the same volume as the soup. I prefer to use rolls or ciabatta from the day before. It’s also possible to make the soup with sourdough bread, which will give it a different flavor, but this version is also delicious. The amount of garlic depends on the size of the cloves; I use medium ones, but that depends on your taste.