Papa Pomodoro Soup, Just in Time for Fall!

Fall is in the air... and this is my favorite season for soup!
I love papa pomodoro, which I made at the Bistro over the weekend. We sold out, mostly because our staff kept sneaking bites. This is a classic Tuscan dish made with bread and meant to achieve a thick silky porridge texture... it is total comfort food! Papa pomodoro is super low in fat, high in Lycopene, a known cancer fighting agent, and is also a top TEN antioxidant fruit. Yes, tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable, so get cooking and get fruity my little foodies!

Ingredients for Papa Pomodoro

nocoupons

• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped sweet purple onion (2 onions)
• 1 cup medium chop carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots- I like the purple & yellow heirlooms)
  
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium-diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic sliced super thin
  
• 3 cups- of diced ciabatta bread (1 inch cubes)
  
• 3 (28-ounce) cans good Italian plum tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken stock- organic OR home-made!
  
• 1/2 cup good red wine - leonesse melange de reves is perfect for this!
  
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves- chiffonade (cut into long, thin strips)
• 1/2 cup of chopped flat leaf parsly
• 1 Tsp red chili flakes
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Parmesan
  

For the topping:

nocoupons

• 2 cups cubed garlic buttered ciabatta
  
• 2 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, chopped (or not for you vegetarians)
  
• 12 whole fresh basil leaves- green or purple
  
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 3 cloves garlic- (fry garlic in olive oil, to infuse it for soup garnish)
  
• Salt and pepper
• 
  

Directions

Slice ciabatta bread in half and lather with garlic butter, then sprinkle with pecorino cheese- cutting into 1 inch cubes- bake the 3 cups (that will go into our soup) at 375 for about 10 minutes- just shy of crispy. For the remaining 2 cups that will act as the garnish- bake until golden brown (like a crouton).

Blend tomatoes in blender or bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat, add onions cooking over medium-low heat for 8 or so minutes, then garlic, red chili flacks, carrots & fennel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, leaving the vegetables al dente'.

Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste), and 1 tsp of fresh ground pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and add cubed- baked ciabatta, stirring as you go. Partially cover soup and allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile:

For the topping, place the pancetta and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle basil with salt and pepper (no S&P on pancetta- it is salty enough!) and toss well. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until all the ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark and crisp, similar to above picture. This is perfectly fine, and super yummy!

Beat soup with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Serve with a dollop of masarpone or creme fraiche, then sprinkle pancetta and garlic infused olive oil then add your whole crisp basil leaf to the top with ciabatta cube.

This soup is great the next day too. Just add veggie or chicken stock to loosen up a bit, as it will thicken up.

Bon Appetite,

Ms. Delyte