Pappa al pomodoro is the hallmark of traditional Tuscan home cooking given that it’s a dish that upcycles leftovers. The ingredient list is short and simple: stale Tuscan bread, canned peeled tomatoes, good extra virgin olive oil, salt, and chili pepper.
What makes pappa al pomodoro an ambassador for Tuscan cooking is its chameleon-like nature: the recipe varies from area to area, from family to family, sparking debate and disagreement: basil or sage? Just garlic or a mixture of finely minced vegetables such as carrot, celery, and onion? Water or vegetable stock? The following recipe originates from Chianti, blending the Sienese and Florentine tradition.
Ingredients:
– 800 g peeled canned tomatoes, crushed
– 2 cloves of garlic
– Dried chili pepper, to taste
– Extra virgin olive oil
– 4 thick slices of stale Tuscan bread
– 1 cup of hot water
– About 20 basil leaves
– Salt
Follow these steps:
1. Soak the bread in cold water for about 10 minutes.
2. Cover the bottom of a pot with extra virgin olive oil, add the garlic and dried chili pepper to taste. Add the crushed peeled tomatoes. Cook on low heat until the tomatoes begin to soften and come apart.
3. Squeeze the bread between your hands to remove all the excess water and crumble it into the tomato sauce. Add a cup of hot water.
4. Season with salt and cook over a low flame for about 10 minutes, stirring vigorously from time to time.
5. Turn off the heat, add the basil leaves and pour over more extra virgin olive oil.
6. Set aside for at least an hour, allowing the flavors to mix, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe by Jul’s Kitchen
#easycampingrecipes #easyrecipes #camping #tuscany #visittuscany
This traditional Tuscan recipe is perfect for your next camping trip. Let’s make pappa al pomodoro. Pappa al pomodoro is a super traditional Tuscan meal and it’s mostly made up of leftovers. So you’re going to need some stale Tuscan bread, Tuscan bread is preferred, but stale bread, some olive oil, some basil, some garlic, peeled canned tomatoes, 800 grams, and some water, cold water, hot water, and salt. That’s it. Let’s do this. The first thing you’re gonna do is you’re gonna put your stale bread into your cold water and you’re gonna let it soak for about 10 minutes. Now while the bread is soaking, we’re gonna turn on our stove top and we’re going to cover the bottom of our pan with extra virgin olive oil. I’m going to add some garlic. You can also add some chili pepper, but I’m not a spicy girl. Now I’m going to add the crushed tomatoes to my pot with the olive oil and garlic. And we’re gonna cook it on low until the tomatoes begin to soften, come apart. You know? Okay, this is the best part. We’re going to take our stale bread, our soaked bread, and we’re gonna squeeze out the water and put it into the tomato sauce, okay? Make sure to crumble it in and now we’re gonna add our cup of hot water. Season with some salt. Let it cook on low for about 10 minutes. Come closer. So we’re gonna turn off the heat and add some basil. A bit more extra virgin olive oil. Gonna let it sit for about an hour. Be sure to serve it warm or at room temperature. And that is Pappa al Pomodoro.