The PAPPA AL POMODORO is much more than a simple dish: it’s a warm hug, a return to the roots, an ode to humble Tuscan cooking that transforms a few simple ingredients into pure poetry. Stale bread, ripe tomatoes, garlic, basil and extra-virgin olive oil: that’s all it takes to tell a story of tradition, authenticity and flavor.
Born to waste nothing, pappa al pomodoro is an extraordinary example of sustainable cooking, where the previous day’s bread becomes the main ingredient of a creamy, aromatic soup. The scent of tomato mixes with fresh basil and good olive oil, offering a dish that tastes like summer, family lunches, sun-drenched countryside and hands that knead with love.
Served hot in cold seasons or lukewarm in summer, it’s a comfort food that conquers at the first taste. Perfect in its simplicity, irresistible in its authenticity.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb vine tomatoes (or 1.1 lb (500 g) peeled canned tomatoes)
- 3.5 cups Tuscan bread (stale and unsalted, cut into cubes)
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- basil
For the pappa al pomodoro you will need
- 1 Sauté pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
Preparation: Pappa al Pomodoro
First, prepare a classic vegetable broth with celery, carrot and onion.
Cut the bread (remove the crust) into cubes and set aside.
Score the tomatoes lightly with a cross (be sure they are very ripe) and blanch them for 20 seconds in boiling water. Drain them, remove the skin and seeds, and chop them coarsely. For an even quicker preparation and a more intense red color you can use crushed canned tomatoes.
In a large sauté pan, lightly fry the garlic in plenty of extra-virgin olive oil.Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes.
Remove the garlic cloves, add the stale bread and start pouring the hot vegetable broth little by little.
Stir occasionally, helping the bread to break down. Cook the pappa al pomodoro over low heat for at least 30–40 minutes, until the texture is creamy and homogeneous.At the end of cooking, add fresh basil torn by hand, adjust salt and pepper and stir.
Serve the pappa al pomodoro with a drizzle of raw extra-virgin olive oil and, if you like, another basil leaf on top and a grind of pepper.
Storage
Pappa al pomodoro can be stored in the refrigerator, in a container, for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in a pot over low heat with a tablespoon of water or a drizzle of oil to restore the proper consistency.
