Pappa al Pomodoro
Welcome to Corona Kitchen Week Three. I realize that during this time when we are supposed to “Stay the F$ck Home,” our kitchen habits are closer to those of the Depression era than ever before. Sure, many of us are trying not to spend money in response to market volatility and job uncertainty, but maybe an even bigger motivator is the desire to stay away from the grocery store. Whether you are a rule follower, germaphobe (old or new) or just up for a challenge, many of us are getting creative in finding ways to stretch our food supply. I, for one, am all three so I have set my goal at two weeks between shopping trips. I will admit to the occasional cheat when asked by friends if I need anything from the store and I respond “Yeast, please!” or “Babybell cheese?” but I am heading into week two and feeling confident that I will reach my goal.
So what does “stretching our food supply” look like? Well for me it translates into not throwing anything away, cooking from most delicate to hardiest, and from old to new. Let me explain. Not throwing anything away is pretty obvious–eat what you have, repurpose what you can. This was the partial motivation for today’s Pappa al Pomodoro or Tuscan Bread and Tomato Soup, but I’ll get to that. Another factor to consider when meal planning is using the vegetables that are quickest to spoil, first. A head of cauliflower could last for almost two weeks in your fridge so keep that in the back and start with your cucumber or zucchini. The night I visited the supermarket, I made a meal that used the asparagus I had bought because those spears do not get better with age. Next up were the mushrooms, then the spinach and tonight I plan to cook the green beans. You get the point. As far as “old to new,” most of us have freezers that have been stocked long before this virus rocked our worlds. You can’t make room for ground chicken if there’s a couple of pork tenderloins taking up space (I’ll get to an easy pork tenderloin recipe soon!). You might finally have the time to make a big batch of chili but no space in the freezer to store it. Out with the old, in with the new. In my case, yes I’ve defrosted a pork tenderloin and pulled out a quart of split pea soup, but I also found a baguette that I was saving for a rainy day. And, yes, that baguette was the impetus behind today’s delicious recipe for Pappa al Pomodoro which I took from The New York Times.
I pulled out the bread on Friday night in hopes of cubing it up, along with a fresh loaf, for the fondue I was preparing for my family (duh, as if I would be having guests…remember when that was a possibility?). Well, the baguette defrosted and was still rock hard. I sprinkled it with a little water and tossed it in the warm oven (a little trick to revive stale bread) and nada, this bread was a goner. Not even slightly softened, it was just too far gone. In a more wasteful, dare I say, relaxed time I would have tossed the baguette and written off the $3 loss but not today, not this kitchen warrior. I was determined to conquer the baguette into some form of submission and find a way to use it. I mentioned this baguette to my friend Leanne (you see it languished on my counter for two days becoming my personal albatross) and told her that I was going to turn it into bread crumbs. She agreed that that was one way to go but suggested Pappa al Pomodoro as another. I wondered if the bread might be just to stale and she gamely said, “It’s worth a try!”
Well, I could not be happier that I did because now I can confidently say that no bread is ever too stale for Pappa al Pomodoro and as a matter of fact, you should pick up a baguette the next time you are out and leave that baby to get rock hard on your counter just so that you can make this delicious soup. The fact that in addition to the stale bread all that you need is a small onion, a couple of garlic cloves, a can of tomatoes, tomato paste, some basil (you can even use the basil in a tube if you don’t have a plant growing in your home) and water (I subbed in vegetable broth for extra flavor but that’s not necessary) makes this pretty much a pantry meal. What you get with this soup is more like a stew of sorts because the bread absorbs the majority of the liquid. The consistency should be akin to that of oatmeal. Served with a salad and a big glass of red wine, you’ve got yourself a meal that would make any nonna proud. So here’s to our friends in Italy and beyond. Here’s to making the most of what we have and appreciating the little things each day. Enjoy!
Pappa al Pomodoro
Ingredients
- 1 lb stale country bread/baguette
- 2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes with juice
- 1 Tbls tomato paste
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4 c water or vegetable broth
- 2-3 Tbls slivered fresh basil or fresh from tube
Instructions
- Cut your stale bread into cubes. You should have about 7 cups. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute, until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, red pepper flakes, and one teaspoon salt and about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 10 minutes.
- Stir the bread cubes into the tomatoes. Add the water or broth, and half the basil. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring and mashing the bread, for about 10 minutes, until the soup is thick, like oatmeal.
- Stir in the remaining basil, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.