How do you peel and seed tomatoes?

You can peel and seed tomatoes through the process of blanching them in a simmering pot of water followed by an ice bath, and then peeling them with a knife. You can squeeze the seeds out over a bowl, and use your fingers to get the ones that are stuck inside.

What can I do with leftover stale bread?

If you have stale bread, you can make many things like croutons , bread pudding , or fresh breadcrumbs, but I'm partial to using it to thicken soup. It gives soup such a rich and velvety texture that you don't want to miss.

Pappa al Pomodoro {Italian Tomato Bread Soup}

Name: Pappa al Pomodoro {Italian Tomato Bread Soup}
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 33 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 large sweet onion, diced; 1 ¼ teaspoon salt plus more to taste; 1 teaspoon dry thyme; ½ teaspoon ground pepper; 15 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped, juices reserved (about 3 ¼ pounds before prepping); ¼ cup tomato paste; 2 sprigs basil, plus ½ cup chopped basil, divided; 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth *see note; 5 oz cubed stale firm Italian or sourdough bread (no crusts), about 4 cups *see note

Description

Simple Italian Tomato Soup thickened with bread seasoned with basil and olive oil.

Ingredients

Scale

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
15 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped, juices reserved (about 3 1/4 pounds before prepping)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 sprigs basil, plus 1/2 cup chopped basil, divided
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth *see note
5 oz cubed stale firm Italian or sourdough bread (no crusts), about 4 cups *see note

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Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add garlic, onion, salt, thyme and pepper and cook, stirring often until the onion is browning and softened, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add tomatoes, whole basil sprigs, broth and tomato paste and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add bread, and simmer until the tomatoes and bread are broken down and the soup is very thick, about 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Discard basil sprigs. Mash the soup with a potato masher to break up any remaining pieces of bread. Stir in chopped basil. Serve garnished with more olive oil.

Notes

Broth: For thicker soup, add only 2 cups broth. Make sure to stir the soup often as it simmers as the bread will stick to the bottom of the pot and can burn.

Bread: If your bread is not stale, you can cube it and toast it for 10 mins at 325 degrees F to dry it out.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 33
Category: Soup
Method: Stove top
Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup
Calories: 242
Fat: 10 g
Carbohydrates: 32 g
Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 6 g