How to make the perfect pappa al pomodoro – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to Make the Perfect…

"As the name suggests," says Milan-born Anna del Conte in her book on northern Italian cuisine, this Tuscan tomato soup "is like a porridge that is given to babies". The pap doesn't sound very appetizing, so "bread soup" might be a bit sexier, but, to be honest, bread and tomato porridge would be more accurate. Whatever you call it (and I'd advise sticking to Italian), it's a regional classic and a surprisingly nice way to use up both overripe or underripe tomatoes and stale bread. - a simple and economical combination of good ingredients that makes a great lunch or dinner in late summer or early fall. Oh, and he happens to be vegan, too.

The model
These are whole canned tomatoes, not chopped for Claire Thomson. Thumbnail photos by Felicity.

Tomatoes are the mainstay of the dish - as Del Conte notes, "it's a soup to be made while the summer, when you can get really good tomatoes" (although she concedes that cans can be substituted, if needed). That said, since most recipes then call for you to drain, peel , seed and chop (Alvaro Maccioni's Mamma Toscana, Lindsay Bareham's Big Red Book of Tomatoes and the Silver Spoon), or even puree them (the River Cafe Classic Italian Cook Book and Del Conte herself). even), they don't need to be in perfect condition. In fact, if you then slowly simmer said tomatoes, as recommended by Maccioni, the Silver Spoon, and Del Conte, e They don't even need to be at peak flavor, but if you're just baking them until the bread breaks down, like in the River Coffee and Bareham Recipes, you'll need some truly prodigious fruit. . Choose accordingly.

Italian food writer Stefano Arturi tells me that these days this dish is hardly seen in the height of summer at his home in Lucca, Tuscany, where they prefer panzanella in the heat, saving some pappa al pomodoro for canned tomato season. Indeed, Gianluca Paoli of the Florentine trattoria Coco Lezzone, whose recipe is included in the book Beaneaters & Bread Soup by Lori De Moor and Jason Lowe, calls for canned tomatoes. The same goes for Claire Thomson in her new book Tomato, though he purees them and leaves them whole. Jamie Oliver, meanwhile,

How to make the perfect pappa al pomodoro – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to Make the Perfect…

"As the name suggests," says Milan-born Anna del Conte in her book on northern Italian cuisine, this Tuscan tomato soup "is like a porridge that is given to babies". The pap doesn't sound very appetizing, so "bread soup" might be a bit sexier, but, to be honest, bread and tomato porridge would be more accurate. Whatever you call it (and I'd advise sticking to Italian), it's a regional classic and a surprisingly nice way to use up both overripe or underripe tomatoes and stale bread. - a simple and economical combination of good ingredients that makes a great lunch or dinner in late summer or early fall. Oh, and he happens to be vegan, too.

The model
These are whole canned tomatoes, not chopped for Claire Thomson. Thumbnail photos by Felicity.

Tomatoes are the mainstay of the dish - as Del Conte notes, "it's a soup to be made while the summer, when you can get really good tomatoes" (although she concedes that cans can be substituted, if needed). That said, since most recipes then call for you to drain, peel , seed and chop (Alvaro Maccioni's Mamma Toscana, Lindsay Bareham's Big Red Book of Tomatoes and the Silver Spoon), or even puree them (the River Cafe Classic Italian Cook Book and Del Conte herself). even), they don't need to be in perfect condition. In fact, if you then slowly simmer said tomatoes, as recommended by Maccioni, the Silver Spoon, and Del Conte, e They don't even need to be at peak flavor, but if you're just baking them until the bread breaks down, like in the River Coffee and Bareham Recipes, you'll need some truly prodigious fruit. . Choose accordingly.

Italian food writer Stefano Arturi tells me that these days this dish is hardly seen in the height of summer at his home in Lucca, Tuscany, where they prefer panzanella in the heat, saving some pappa al pomodoro for canned tomato season. Indeed, Gianluca Paoli of the Florentine trattoria Coco Lezzone, whose recipe is included in the book Beaneaters & Bread Soup by Lori De Moor and Jason Lowe, calls for canned tomatoes. The same goes for Claire Thomson in her new book Tomato, though he purees them and leaves them whole. Jamie Oliver, meanwhile,

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