Pappa al Pomodoro

We did an experiment to bring a little piece of Tuscany into your houses, hoping that this summer you will be able to join us! I asked my grandmother to help me and we recorded a video while we were preparing (basically she was preparing) the famous “Pappa al Pomodoro”, one of the most traditional Tuscan recipes. This recipe was invented by peasants and we can see its humble origin when we give a look to the list of ingredients: stale bread, tomatoes, garlic, Evo oil, salt, pepper. We will present you Nonna Carla’s version of the recipe, which is a little bit different from the original one because she uses not only stale bread, but also homemade tomatoes sauce (pomarola).

So here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Stale bread
• Home made tomato sauce
• Broth
• Garlic
• Evo oil
• Chili pepper
• pepper
• Basil
• Parmesan cheese

How to prepare Pappa al Pomodoro:

These doses are enough for about 8 people, but considering that it is a recipe made with leftovers, as all grandmothers say: si va un po’ a occhio (that is: there’s no real recipe, we are improvising). Let’s start!
Take three garlic cloves, peel them, remove the inner part and finely chop them. Then take the bread and cut it in cubes (we used approximately 700g of stale bread). Put the bread and the garlic in a pot and then add the broth until the ingredients are completely covered.
Then add to this weird mix three spoons of tomato sauce, Evo oil, one chili pepper and a pinch of pepper. In another bowl, put broth and add a spoon of tomato sauce, this mixture will be useful during the cooking. Put the pot on the stove using high flame to make it boil, then lower the flame to the minimum. Add basil and a piece of parmesan cheese, mix it, taste it, and then cover it with a lid and let it cook for about one hour. When it is ready, remove the basil and the chili pepper: You’re done, your Pappa al Pomodoro is ready.

You can change the doses as you like, the recipe is very simple, and it can be easily adapted according to your preferences. Our hint is to prepare it the day before, this way it will be tastier.

This recipe is perfect for every occasion, as appetizer, as entrée and even for a typical Italian  apericena. You should definitely prepare this recipe and enjoy Tuscan cooking at home and please …do not forget to send us a picture!

Ps. Pomarola, the tomato sauce that my grandmother prepared to dress pasta, is very easy to cook. She uses cherry tomatoes: she cuts them in half, then she squeezes them to remove their seeds, and finally she cuts them in half again. Lately, she puts the tomatoes in a pan with evo oil, a spoon of powder broth and some basil leaves. She cooks them on a low heat, and she mixes them every now and then, until they will be a pulp (just a little hint: when you think they’re ready, just wait for other five minutes). Then put them in a bowl and blend them to obtain your sauce! Now your healthy sauce is ready, and as it is a very quick recipe you can prepare it while your pasta is cooking.