Pappa Al Pomodoro Toscana
Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup
Recipe by Jack Goldstone
Ingredients
1/2 a Leek
5 or 6 tomatoes
Fresh basil
Carrots
Kale/spinach/or Swiss chard (any leafy green will do and be delicious)
2 cups of homemade stock
Loaf or 2 of stale bread
Directions
Wash veggies and slice a cross into tomatoes, boil water and plop them in for 1 minute. Remove tomatoes and place in ice cold water to cool
Remove the outer layer of the leek and slice just the white part thinly. Place in a pan of hot olive oil and cook until fragrant
Cut carrots, a little thicker than the leeks to give them a lil more bite, and place in the hot pan with leeks. Stir until fragrant
Add peeled tomatoes and basil, reduce heat to medium and cook until fragrant
Cut bread into small cubes and add to the hot pan, allow it to soak up the sauce
Cover with stock, add basil to taste and a generous handful of salt
Add chopped kale, blanch until cooked through and tender
Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and fresh cracked pepper
Note from Jack
An adaptation of this recipe.
Shouts out to my friend Paige for getting me hip to this website during my apprenticeship in Tuscany. It’s since become my go-to when looking for authentic recipes from all of Italy’s varying regions. During my time there I learned that Tuscan’s don’t add salt to their bread, just one of many ways the people of Tuscany vehemently defend and preserve tradition. This lack of salt extends the shelf life of bread so that it can sit on a kitchen counter for weeks without molding, a trait I imagine would have been very beneficial pre-refrigeration.
