Taste of Summer in Winter: Pappa al Pomodoro (Tomato Bread Soup)

If you have ever dipped a piece of bread in a pot of spaghetti sauce, this recipe is for you.  It is apparently the typical after school snack of children in Tuscany, and let me tell you, it beats milk and cookies by a mile. I have run across similar recipes, and have always been intrigued, but until now, have never made it.  It almost seemed too delicious to have for supper, a guilty pleasure for an adult in the same way that having pancakes for dinner might be for a child.  With the right tomatoes, it is a bright taste of summer in the middle of this drab winter, and it is exactly what we needed last week.  I used tomatoes that I had canned last summer, and they were perfect.  You could wait until summer to try pappa al pomodoro, or you could spend a few dollars extra and buy some San Marzano tomatoes, which I think would be almost as good as really good home-canned ones.  Add some fresh basil and some fresh ground pecorino romano, and it really is seriously awesome.

Pappa al Pomodoro (Tomato Bread Soup)

Adapted from Cooking with Italian Grandmothers by Jessica Theroux

1 medium loaf day old rustic Italian bread, crust removed and cut into cubes

2 pounds fresh tomatoes, or canned plum tomatoes

5 large garlic cloves, sliced very thin

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2-2 cups chicken stock

salt

1/4 cup fresh torn basil leaves

extra virgin olive oil for garnish

Put the tomatoes through a foodmill or in a blender to create a chunky puree.  In a large saucepan, saute the garlic slices in the olive oil for a few minutes.  When it is just about to turn golden, place the bread in the pot, and sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock over the bread cubes.  Stir to coat the bread in the garlic and oil.  Add the pureed tomatoes, a large pinch of salt, and another cup of chicken stock.  Stir every five minutes or so as the soup comes to a simmer,  After 30 minutes, taste the pappa, add salt if necessary, and add more chicken stock if the consistency is not right.  It should be a mush; not too liquidy.  When ready to serve, add the basil, and serve in small bowls, sprinkled with pecorino romano cheese and drizzled with olive oil.

A Recipe for Ingredients: Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil

This is my most unusual post yet. It is a recipe for an ingredient. Actually, 2 ingredients. I know, it sounds weird to have to make ingredients, but we do this quite often, and indeed, you have to make it often and in small batches, as the product will only keep for 10 days in the refrigerator. But oh, in those 10 days, the wonderful and marvelous things you will think to do with this magical ingredient!


I am talking about garlic flavored oil and its delicious byproduct, garlic confit. After making it, we can’t help but stand around the stove top dipping crusty bread into the oil, and smearing the soft cloves of garlic on the bread. Then we store it in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, or until it is used up, which typically comes first. It is aromatic, nutty in flavor, delicious in soup, pasta, salads, drizzled on roasted or grilled vegetables, or just for dipping your bread into.


Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
20 cloves of garlic (more or less), peeled

Place the garlic cloves in a saucepan, and completely cover with olive oil. Place on the stove top and bring to a simmer. Allow garlic and oil to remain on the burner for about ½ hour, or until the garlic can be easily pierced with a fork. Stir occasionally, and make sure that the garlic cloves do not begin to brown. Let cool, and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use or discard within 10 days. According to FDA guidelines, flavored oils should not be stored longer than 10 days, due to risks of terrible things which I cannot bring myself to mention here.