Tomato Bread Pane Al Pomodoro Recipes

TOMATO BREAD (PANE AL POMODORO)

Steps:

• Lightly sauté the garlic and onion in the oil; let cool to room temp stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand till 10 minute.
• Stir in 1 c water and garlic and onion w/ the oil; then stir in the tomatoes.
• Mix the flour and salt and stir in 1 c at a time into the yeast mixture.
• Knead on a floured surface until the dough is soft, velvety, and slightly moist (about 8 to 10 minutes) Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hr or until doubled.
• Punch the dough down on a floured surface and knead briefly.
• Shape into a ball and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet sprinkled with flour, cover w/ a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Make 3 parallel slashes on the top of the loaf and brush with egg white.
• Bake 10 minutes, spraying 3 times (every 3 minutes) with water.
• Turn heat down to 375°F and bake 25 to 30 minutes more.
• Cool completely on a rack.

TUSCAN TOMATO AND BREAD SOUP - PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Coat a large wide pot with olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, to taste, and cook until the onions are soft and very aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes, season with salt, to taste, and cook until the tomatoes are really soft and juicy, about 12 to 15 minutes. Toss in the whole basil leaves.
• Working in batches, carefully puree the tomatoes in a blender*. Return the tomato puree to the pot and add the tomato juice and the bread. Cook the soup over medium heat for until the bread has completely lost its shape and the soup is really thick, about 20 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve garnished with grated cheese, basil chiffonade and a drizzle of big fat finishing oil.

PAPPA AL POMODORO (ITALIAN BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP)

Steps:

• Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil with the chili pepper until the garlic has lightly browned and the onion is just getting golden; add the tomato; season with salt; add half the basil leaves torn into tiny pieces; crush the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon and stir; cook until the tomatoes fall apart (about 20 minutes).
• Put the bread into the sauce; the bread will soak up the sauce and it will get quite thick; add enough stock to soften the bread and to make it liquidy; add the remaining basil and cook until the bread becomes a kind of mush (this is called'pappa').
• Serve, sprinkling with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over each serving.

TUSCAN BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP (PAPPA AL POMODORO)

Steps:

• If your bread is too hard to cut, douse it with water first. Then remove the crusts and cut into cubes. You should have about 7 cups.
• 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 salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Stir the bread cubes into the tomatoes. Add the water, half the basil, and about 1 teaspoon salt. 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.