Tomato and Bread Soup - Recipe

Recipe, Francine Stephens, Franny’s, Brooklyn, Italian, Tomato and Bread Soup with Parmigiano Reggiano, pappa al pomodoro, tuscany, Florence, Italy, How to cook with stale bread, Ripe Tomatoes, Fall, Summer, Soup

Tomato and Bread Soup with Parmigiano Reggiano

Recipe courtesy of Franny’s.

At its heart and soul, Italian cuisine is peasant food. And poor people do not waste food. So instead of tossing stale bread to the birds, Italians grab tomatoes that are getting soft and mushy and Parmigiano Reggiano rinds that can’t give up much more cheese, and together, they whip up an amazing soup: pappa al pomodoro, or literally translated, tomato porridge.

This dish originated in Tuscany and can often be found today at the best restaurants in Florence. We like to serve it here at Franny’s in early fall to showcase the incredibly ripe tomatoes coming out of the farmers’ markets at the end of their season.

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

- 6 Ramapos from Bill Maxwell’s farm or Beefsteak Tomatoes (doesn’t have to be these varietal, they are just the ones we prefer)

- 1/2 onion, sliced

- 3 cloves garlic, smashed

- 2 sprigs basil

- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- 6 thick slices of day-old bread

Directions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.

2. Start with a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a small soup pot, then add smashed garlic and the sliced onion.

3. Cook them until right before they just start to turn golden.

Then add chopped tomatoes – not fine, chunks will do.

4. Add a little salt, a bundle of Parmigiano Reggiano rinds wrapped in cheesecloth (so they are easy to fish-out later).

5. Cook the tomatoes until they give up a lot of their juice.

6. Cook the soup slowly for a half hour over slow to medium heat, stirring occasionally.

7. Then add a generous amount of fresh olive oil, chunks of day-old bread, cover it and let it cook for 15-20 minutes longer. Don’t be stingy on the oil because the bread needs to soak up a lot of the liquid.

8. Lastly, add a little more olive oil, cracked pepper and fresh basil, and let it rest for a half hour.

9. When serving, add yet another drizzle of oil and shave some fresh Parmigiano Reggiano over the soup.

WHAT

Recipe for tomato and bread soup with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese from Franny’s in Brooklyn.

WHY

This dish originated in Tuscany and can often be found today at the best restaurants in Florence. At Franny’s, they like to serve it in the early fall to showcase the incredibly ripe tomatoes coming out of the farmers’ markets at the end of their season.

RECIPE - TOMATO AND BREAD SOUP