PAPPA AL POMODORO

Tomato soup thickened with Bread, enriched with Olive Oil at the table.

Sounds like kid’s food, and it is, for kids of all ages. In the past it was also very much a homey dish, a tasty way to use up leftover bread that no housewife would have dreamed of serving to a guest.

Now it’s on the menus of Florence’s trendier restaurants.

Recipe

1 small onion, finely sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 pound peeled and sliced sun ripened plum tomatoes

1-tablespoon tomato paste

several slices of one day old Tuscan bread, crumbled broth or water as necessary freshly chopped basil for garnishing

Sauté the onion and the garlic in the olive oil, and when they’re lightly browned, add the tomatoes and the tomato paste.

Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes have fallen apart.

Stir in the bread, and a little bit of water or broth if necessary; season to taste.

Stir the mixture over a low flame until it thickens. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for fifteen minutes.

Serve sprinkled with freshly chopped basil and good olive oil.

It’s better made a day ahead and reheated.