I knew I had become truly Italian once I had mastered shopping for food on a daily basis (every morning) as opposed to a large once-weekly supermarket shop. Food shopping Italian style means encompassing the fundamentals of an Italian diet, which is buying food that one needs for that day (maybe two because there will be leftovers), and buying only what is fresh and “in season.” Respecting a seasonal kitchen is the basis to following the so called healthy Mediterranean diet.
Tuscan bread, tomatoes, garlic, basil,Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Photo: Toni Brancatisano
One of the things I love is how this concept also helps in reducing food waste. I buy my bread every morning at my local bakery for example, but I only buy what I need for that day. That means that it isn’t obligatory to buy an entire loaf of bread, I can point out the bread I want, and then just indicate the quantity I need. Perhaps you prefer the crusty heel end, or perhaps you prefer the softer, middle part of the loaf. Whatever you choose, your bread will be weighed and, like so many food items bought in Italy, you will pay by weight.
Plenty of tomatoes and bread are at the heart of the pappa al pomodoro. Photo: Toni Brancatisano
While I try to choose just the amount of bread we will eat that day, I often buy too much and, although you can “resurrect” day old bread with 10 minutes in a hot oven, there are some wonderful traditional recipes in Italy that are made with stale bread, born from the cucina povera, the poor kitchen originating from poor peasant cooking.This was the age when to waste even a slice of bread (even if stale) was considered blasphemous and, in fact, there are many stale bread soup recipes in all parts of Italy. Certainly, the cucina povera was ahead of it’s time if we think how we still struggle today to avoid food waste.
In all probability, the recipe dates back to the last half of the 19th century, when tomatoes became an ingredient for sauces and other cooked dishes in Italy. Photo: Toni Brancatisano
So, a wonderful recipe to use up day old rustic Tuscan style Italian bread is Pappa al Pomodoro. It’s also the perfect time of year to talk about this recipe because it’s ideal to take advantage of the many varieties of glorious plump red tomatoes that are abundant in all the markets during the hot summer months.
Pappa al Pomodoro is a “poor” dish of Tuscan cuisine. The peasant origin of this first course is testified by its ingredients: stale Tuscan bread, tomatoes, garlic, basil,Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. In Arezzo, this dish is traditionally prepared by using onion instead of garlic, and yet in other recipes both onion and garlic are used. So, while the ingredients may be simple, they must all be of top quality.
Pappa al pomodoro is a simple, wholesome dish typical of Tuscany. Photo: Toni Brancatisano
Tuscan bread is usually unsalted, and the reason behind this dates back to the 12th century. The rulers of Pisa were at odds with the rulers of Florence, and cut off their supply lines from the coast. This made salt prohibitively expensive. The Florentines, unwilling to cave to the pressure, simply began making their bread without it, and this is now a tradition that continues today.
The Italian word pappa translates to mush, or baby food and that pretty much describes the consistency of the finished product: a dish that can be eaten at any age. But with amazing tomatoes, fresh basil and high quality olive oil, the flavor is anything but boring.
If you ask a Tuscan the recipe, their answer will vary depending on where in Tuscany they are from and, usually, each different origin will add secret touches, all a little different from each other. Pappa al Pomodoro can be eaten hot, lukewarm or cold, and is always best served with a generous drizzle of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil to give it extra flavor.
In all probability, the recipe dates back to the last half of the 19th century, when tomatoes became an ingredient for sauces and other cooked dishes in Italy. It is said to hail from Siena, and became famous throughout Italy thanks to a famous Florentine writer/journalist born in 1859, Luigi Bertelli called “Vamba,” who was the founder of the Giornalino della Domenica, in 1906. The following year he began writing the famous weekly Sunday series of adventures for children Il Giornalino di Gianburrasca, resulting in 55 stories for boys throughout 1907 and 1908. It was then published in a single volume in 1912. There is a famous scene where the protagonist rebels and protests about college food and life, demanding to have only Pappa al Pomodoro to eat!
Today, Pappa al Pomodoro is no longer looked upon as a “poor dish,” and is considered as a healthy recipe by dietitians and doctors. Photo: Toni Brancatisano
Pappa al Pomodoro was also celebrated in a song by Rita Pavone in the sixties when she starred in a famous film adaptation of the book by Vamba. If you know this song it will probably be swimming around your head all day now.
Today, Pappa al Pomodoro is no longer looked upon as a “poor dish,” and is considered as a healthy recipe by dietitians and doctors.
appa al Pomodoro can be eaten hot, lukewarm or cold. Photo: Toni Brancatisano
Many Tuscans will tell you not to even think of putting parmesan cheese on it… but I’m sorry… I love a little sprinkling of cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper just before diving in!
Buon Appetito!
PAPPA AL POMODORO
Ingredients
■ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
■ 1 small onion, chopped
■ 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
■ 1 kg fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped*
■ 350g day-old Italian tuscan bread, roughly sliced into cubes
■ 750ml homemade vegetable stock
■ 1 handful of fresh torn basil leaves
■ Freshly ground black pepper
■ Grated Parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a deep saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame.
2. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, until onion is translucent.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add half the basil and let cook until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down. Allow to cook for 20-25 minutes in a covered saucepan, stirring occasionally.
4. Using a wooden spoon, add the stale bread cubes and stock. Continue simmering until all the bread has absorbed as much liquid as possible, yielding a thick consistency.
5. Stir in the remaining basil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and let the soup continue simmering for 10 more minutes.
6. Allow to rest for an hour before serving in warmed soup bowls. Splash with extra Olive Oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with a little fresh basil.
*You can substitute the fresh tomatoes for polpa or passata, or roast the tomatoes before beginning the recipe.
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