Pappa al pomodoro is a recipe born in the peasant kitchens of Tuscany, mainly to recover stale bread that was left at home. It was therefore a poor dish, created to recycle everything that was in the pantry and in the garden, since bread and tomatoes were never missing.
Whoever tries pappa al pomodoro discovers that simplicity always wins, served hot or cold, as an appetizer or first course, together with meat and fish.
In short, it’s worth trying it at least once in your life, just as it’s worth trying the potato and fresh anchovy pie, which pairs well with the tomato soup.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 28 oz peeled tomatoes (canned)
- 6 slices Tuscan bread
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- to taste basil
Preparation
1 – Preferably in an earthenware pot, put the oil with the chopped onion and the crushed garlic. Sauté until they are lightly golden.
2 – Then add the peeled tomatoes, the salt, the sugar and let the sauce cook for 10 minutes from the moment it starts to boil.
3 – Meanwhile, toast the slices of bread in a pan, if you don’t have stale bread.
4 – It’s about 6 slices of bread. A variation, for those who like stronger flavors, is to rub a fresh clove of garlic on the warm toasted bread.
5 – When the tomato sauce is ready, turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
6 – Finally put the toasted slices of bread, whole, into the earthenware pot together with the tomato and let them soak in the sauce for 10–15 minutes.
7 – When the bread has absorbed all the sauce, mash it with a fork and finish cooking it in the pot.
8 – Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and a handful of fresh basil, then turn the heat back on and let it simmer over very low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
9 – At this point turn off the stove for good and let the tomato pappa rest for another 5 minutes before serving it at the table with a drizzle of raw olive oil and a few leaves of fresh basil.
It’s good hot, warm or cold and goes well with meat and especially with fish.
