500G / Kitchen sheet
Pappa al pomodoro: Tuscan tomato soup with stale bread
Yesterday’s bread. Today’s appetite. Pappa al pomodoro is a Tuscan dish that puts leftover bread back to work. We are not claiming a definitive version: this is ours, with canned whole tomatoes so you can cook it beyond tomato season.
Serves 4 · Prep 10 minutes · Cook approximately 25 minutes · Rest 10 minutes. The amount of stock depends on your bread.
At the stove
Method
- Cut the bread into small pieces, including the crust. If it is very hard, use a suitable bread knife to cut thin slices.
- Gently warm the oil with the lightly crushed garlic for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, half the basil and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the garlic. Add the bread and 500 ml hot stock. Stir to moisten every piece, then cook gently for about 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Work the bread with a spoon until it breaks down. Add more stock gradually if any dry pieces remain. Stop when the soup is soft and thick rather than watery.
- Turn off the heat, add the remaining basil and rest for 10 minutes. Taste, adjust salt and pepper and serve warm with a drizzle of oil.
Don’t blend it
The texture comes from bread breaking down under a spoon. A blender makes everything smooth, but removes the small pieces that give pappa its character. For a finer texture, slice the bread more thinly before starting.
The bread decides how much stock you need
Very dry bread absorbs more liquid than softer bread. Start with 500 ml and add more only as needed. Seasoning depends on the bread too: traditional Tuscan bread is unsalted, while other loaves are not.
No garnish arranged for the camera. A bowl, a spoon and bread becoming lunch again.