Papa Al Pomodoro Recipes

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta, and cook until the pancetta is brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
• Add the red onion, carrot, garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the salt, canned tomatoes, chicken broth and bread cubes; stir to combine. Nestle in the basil sprigs and Parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle bubble. Stir in the pancetta.
• Cook for 25 minutes, stirring often to break apart the bread and prevent the Parmesan rind from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the soup gets too thick, add extra broth as needed; the finished soup should be silky and thickened. Stir in the grated Parmesan.
• To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with a sprinkling of Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and chopped basil.

PAPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and 3/4 of the onion. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, then add tomatoes and crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add stock and raise heat to make the soup bubble. Reduce heat to simmer and add bread and beans. Stir soup as it simmers until it thickens to a stew-like consistency. Turn off heat, adjust seasonings and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grated cheese, an additional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a spoonful of reserved finely chopped raw onions. Torn basil is an optional garnish.

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Finely chop onion and mince garlic. In a 4-quart heavy kettle heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté onion and garlic, stirring, until softened. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice, and chop. Stir tomatoes and reserved juice into onion mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
• While tomato mixture is simmering, discard crust from bread and cut enough bread into 1-inch cubes to measure 2 cups. Add bread and broth to tomato mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until bread has absorbed liquid and soup is thick, about 40 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.

TUSCAN TOMATO SOUP (PAPPA AL POMODORO)

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add chopped onion, chopped carrot, and chopped celery. Cook until softened, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomato passata and milk. Season with salt, cover and simmer tomato sauce until flavors are well combined, 20 minutes.
• Combine whole onion, whole carrot, and whole celery stalk in a stockpot; cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain vegetables and keep stock warm.
• Stir 1 1/2 cups stock into tomato sauce. Add stale bread; stir and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the bread to soften.
• Combine tomato-bread mixture, 1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a blender; blend until mixture has consistency of a mousse.
• Ladle soup into bowls and serve with shaved Parmesan cheese and drizzled with remaining olive oil. Garnish with basil leaves.

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Chop about 2 cups (a couple of small mounds) of the bread and reserve the rest to pass at the table.
• Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup of the EVOO, 4 times around the pan, then add the sprig of rosemary and the garlic. Peel and halve the onion and, using a box grater or other hand-held grater, grate the onion directly into the soup pot. Sauté the mixture for 5 minutes, then remove the rosemary stem. Add the chicken stock and the tomatoes and bring it to a bubble. Add the bread chunks and stir until the bread has melted into the soup; the result is a soup-er thick consistency. Tear or shred the basil and stir it into the soup. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and ladle the soup into bowls. Top it with an extra swirl of EVOO, 1 tablespoon per bowl, and lots of shaved Parm or grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

TUSCAN BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP (PAPPA AL POMODORO)

Steps:

• If your bread is too hard to cut, douse it with water first. Then remove the crusts and cut into cubes. You should have about 7 cups.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Stir the bread cubes into the tomatoes. Add the water, half the basil, and about 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring and mashing the bread, for about 10 minutes, until the soup is thick, like oatmeal. Stir in the remaining basil, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

SPEEDY PAPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a non-stick casserole dish or saucepan. Add the garlic cloves and basil stalks and fry for 1 min. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, a canful of water and the sugar and season to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 mins.
• Stir the bread through the soup to create a thick, stew-like consistency, then stir in most of the basil leaves. Ladle into bowls, finish with parmesan and some extra basil.

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Wash leeks thoroughly and set aside. Scald tomatoes briefly in boiling water; let cool, then slip off skins with a knife. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise; seed by squeezing over a strainer set in a bowl to collect juice. Cut tomatoes into chunks; set tomatoes and juice aside.
• In a small non-reactive stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Increase heat to medium high and add tomatoes and juice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are somewhat broken down and very juicy, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add bread; cook, stirring and breaking up the bread with a wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let stand to come to room temperature. Just before serving, stir in the torn basil. Drizzle each serving with extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

TUSCAN PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup oil, the red-pepper flakes, and bread; cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread has broken down and melded into the tomatoes, about 15 minutes (the soup will be thick).
• Remove from heat; stir in basil and cheese. Season with pepper. Serve drizzled with oil and sprinkled with cheese.

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Cut bread into large chunks. If any of the center is soft, discard it.
• Cut tomatoes in half. Squeeze out the seeds and discard. Cut tomatoes into large chunks.
• Heat oil in a large pot and saute garlic until it begins to brown.
• Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, until they soften.
• Add bread and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until bread has absorbed most of the liquid.
• Shred basil and stir in along with the pepper. Allow mixture to stand for about 15 minutes or longer. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature. If desired, serve with grated Parmigiano, about one tablespoon a serving.