Warm Up With Pappa Al Pomodoro: Tuscan Tomato Soup

Fall is my favorite season to cook at home. There's just something fantastic about filling your home with the smells and tastes of cold weather comfort foods. Aromas like roasting potatoes, bubbling beef stews and smoky pulled pork just make me happy, especially when they can easily satisfy the appetite of a crowd. In the last few weeks alone, my kitchen has seen likes of pot roast, beef stew, turkey chili, and most recently, a rich Tuscan bread and tomato soup called Pappa al Pomodoro. Talk about a winner!

Pappa Al Pomodoro - Hearty Tuscan Bread & Tomato Soup

Photo credit: Serious Eats

The day I decided to make the soup it was a pouring rain outside and the wind was howling, a rare sight in LA yet a perfect opportunity to spend an afternoon making a hearty soup. It's is essentially sauteed carrots, onions, garlic and fennel, layered with crushed Italian plum tomatoes and an entire cubed loaf of day-old ciabatta. I found the recipe from Ina Garten's book, Back to Basics, but I modified the recipe a bit as well as traded her prosciutto and crouton topping for a healthier basil and Parmesan option. It was so easy to make and I was thrilled when friends cleaned their bowls, asked for seconds, and Bryan made me promise to add it to my Winter cooking repertoire. Try it for yourself using the recipe and step-by-step photos below as a guide; I'm sure it'll be a hit! 

Pappa Al Pomodoro 

Adapted from Ina Garten's Back to Basics Recipe

• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
• 1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium-diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes, crusts removed (I used a flax ciabbata loaf)
• 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed Italian plum tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano

Directions: Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel, and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Cook onions, carrots, fennel, and garlic until tender.

Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, salt & pepper.

Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Serve in a bowl with chopped basil & grated Parmesan.
Photo credit: Serious Eats