The River Cafe’s Pappa al Pomodoro
This recipe for tomato and bread soup, pappa al pomodoro, from The River Cafe Cookbook perfectly encapsulates the simplicity of Italian cuisine, where a handful of seasonal ingredients create a dish that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Introduction
This may be our favourite soup, especially in late summer when tomatoes and basil are at their best. It’s important to use open-textured white bread made with olive oil, such as pugliese.
Ingredients
| 4kg (9lb) | ripe sweet tomatoes, skinned and seeded or 2kg tinned plum tomatoes, drained of most of their juices |
| 4 | garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers |
| 175 ml (6 fl oz) | olive oil |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 4 loaves | stale pugliese bread |
| 1 large bunch | basil |
| extra virgin olive oil |
Method
Put the garlic and the olive oil into a heavy saucepan and cook gently for a few minutes. Just before the garlic turns brown, add the tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes become concentrated. Season with salt and pepper, then add 600 ml (1 pint) water and bring to the boil.
Cut most of the crust off the bread and break or cut into large chunks. Put the bread into the tomato mixture and stir until the bread absorbs the liquid, adding more boiling water if it is too thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. If the basil leaves are large, tear into pieces. Stir into the soup with 120-175 ml (4-6 fl oz) of the extra virgin olive oil. Let sit before serving to allow the bread to absorb the flavour of the basil and oil. Add more of the extra virgin olive oil to each bowl.
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