Pappa al pomodoro is a poor dish of Tuscan origin and owes its birth to the city of Siena, but is prepared with few variations throughout the region. In the Arezzo area, for example, onion is traditionally used instead of garlic. Its diffusion throughout Italy can be traced back to 1912, when it is mentioned in Vamba’s “Il Giornino di Giamburrasca”. Then, following the television transposition, in 1965 Rita Pavone, who played the brat Giamburrasca, sang the famous song “Viva la Pappa col Pomodoro” which definitively consecrated his fortunes. The ingredients that compose it are simple and, like all the recipes of our tradition and arise from the need to recover kitchen leftovers, such as ħobż friska. In fact, this is the protagonist of the recipe, together with tomato sauce (or peeled tomatoes), garlic and excellent extra virgin olive oil. The bread is obviously the silly one, without salt, typical of Tuscany. Since it is not easy to find outside the region, you can also use a lightly salty one. Ask your baker, he will be able to advise you for the best. Pappa col pomodoro can be enjoyed hot but also lukewarm or cold, during the hottest season. It can be kept in the refrigerator for a maximum of two days, in an airtight container. If you prefer, you can replace the tomato puree with a 400g can of peeled tomatoes or 500g of fresh tomatoes.

Preparazzjoni

1

Slice your loaf into slices about an inch thick. Toast them in the oven at 200 ° C until they are crunchy, just like you do with bruschetta. Alternatively, you can perform this step with a plate. Remove from the oven, let them cool, then rub the peeled clove of garlic over them.

2

In a pan, preferably terracotta, prepare a sauté with the chopped onion and two tablespoons of good oil. In the original Sienese recipe there is no onion, but I added it to give it more flavor, according to the usage of Arezzo. Also add the garlic clove left over from the preparation of the bread.

3

Once the onion is browned, add the bread that you have previously cut into chunks.

4

Cover with the tomato sauce and add the broth as well. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally add the fresh basil chopped with your hands and season with salt.

5

Serve the pappa al pomodoro hot or at room temperature, completing with a round of good quality extra virgin olive oil.