Alice is in the kitchen with comedian Chloe Petts, and today they’re leaning into Chloe’s love of big, bold Italian flavours.
Good soup starts with simple ingredients — canned tomatoes, stale bread and a parmesan rind bring all the flavour. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)
Together, they’re making a Tuscan tomato bread soup — a dish that’s essentially like a warm, comforting bowl of bruschetta.
Simmer the tomatoes with garlic, water and parmesan rind for a rich base full of savoury depth. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton )
With sweet, simmered tomatoes, garlic, basil and torn ciabatta stirred right into the pot, it’s rich, rustic, and deeply satisfying. Chloe’s all-in from the first stir, proving that a few pantry staples can still pack a punch. Drizzled with vibrant basil oil and finished with a flourish of parmesan, this soup is all about texture, flavour and that classic Italian generosity.
Tear in the bread and stir gently — it will soak up all that tomato flavour and create a rich, rustic texture. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)
TipsIf you don’t have muslin or cheesecloth: A piece of clean kitchen paper-towel will work in a pinch, to strain the basil oil.Use stale bread: Older ciabatta will soak up the tomato soup better and give the soup its classic texture.Add the bread slowly: If you’re unsure about the consistency, add a bit at a time until you reach that perfect porridge-like thickness.Don’t skip the parmesan rind: It adds a deep, savoury umami-hit that really boosts the flavour of the soup.Blanching the basil: Quickly dunking basil in boiling water, then ice-water, locks in the vibrant green colour for your basil oil.
Here’s the full list of recipes from Season 2 of A Bite To Eat With Alice.
This recipe appears in A Bite to Eat with Alice, a new nightly cooking show on ABC iview and weeknights at 5pm on ABC TV.
Posted 2h ago2 hours agoSat 12 Apr 2025 at 10:00pm