Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Expense: 3,50 Euros

Pappa al Pomodoro (bread and tomato soup) is another bread-based recipe. Tasty, simple, healthy, quick to prepare, and inexpensive are the main characteristics of this recipe. As usual, the pappa was born during times of hardships from the will of peasants to eat well no matter what. Centuries of wisdom at your table so you can enjoy a tasty alternative to the tomato soup with cheese sandwich. Pappa al pomodoro is also great cold during summer days, and is a corroborating dish during cold winter days.

Ingredients:
- 1 loaf of (stale) artisan bread cut up into cubes half a kilo (1 pound)
- 4 large ripe tomatoes or a can of peeled or diced tomatoes
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- few leaves of basil
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste

Preparation:
The bread should be stale for this recipe, so save your bread leftovers in a cloth bag, they will come in handy. Alternatively you can use fresh bread. Pour three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a medium pan and add the minced garlic. Heat up the oil without letting it fry the garlic by stirring continuously. After few minutes add the diced tomatoes or the can of tomatoes. Continue to stir while increasing the heat to bring to a boil. When boiling, add a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to a gentle boil. Wait ten minutes or until the tomato starts darkening, then add the shredded basil leaves. Let cook for a minute then add the bread and keep stirring. Should it absorbe too much water and become too dry, add a little boiling water in the pan. Be careful not to add too much, as the consistency has to be pretty thick. Adjust salt if needed and serve adding a swirl of raw olive oil on top of each plate.
For summer days you can also let it cool at room temperature then store in the fridge for an hour or so. It should not be too cold. Buon appetito!

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