Florentine Recipes: Pappa al Pomodoro

The Ten Commandments of Pappa al Pomodoro

1. It has fed Tuscan homes for generations; pass it down.
2. You need garlic, which besides the flavor also keeps the bugs away — or so they used to say.
3. Pretty and red, you make it often and gladly: hot when it’s cold out, cold when it’s hot.
4. It’s made with the day-old Tuscan bread left over at home; nothing goes to waste.
5. When you say pappa al pomodoro, the little song Rita Pavone sings in Gianburrasca springs to mind.
6. Don’t come telling me you don’t have time to make it — it’s simple and quick, you slackers.
7. Every pappa has its secret touch, but tomato, basil and bread can never be missing.
8. The little skin that forms on the sides of the pot is the final treat — don’t toss it, you numbskulls.
9. Don’t make it runny; it’s meant to thicken and set.
10. These days everyone’s into soups with chia, quinoa — basically birdseed. But isn’t a good pappa al pomodoro better?

Ingredients

1 L vegetable broth
300 g day-old Tuscan bread
500 g tomato passata, peeled tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 bunch of basil

Method

Gently brown the garlic in 8 tablespoons of oil. As soon as it turns golden, pour in the passata — better still if you have tomatoes in season — the chopped basil, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about ten minutes.
Pour in the broth and, when it comes to a boil, add the stale bread you’ve cut into small pieces (you can also toast it briefly in the oven), stirring now and then so the bread soaks up the tomato well. It should have the consistency of a pappa, so don’t leave it too brothy. If it stays a little loose, add more bread. Adding Parmesan is forbidden! It’s eaten just as it is.
You can enjoy it hot or at room temperature, in both cases with a good drizzle of Tuscan oil and a grind of pepper.

Tips, Trivia and Variations

Don’t confuse it with pancotto or panata, which are two different dishes. Pancotto is without tomato, the ancestor of the pappa; panata is made with egg, cheese and Parmesan, again without tomato.