Villa Sant'Uberto Country Inn

La Pappa col pomodoro: Soup

Servings: 4

Prep time:30 minutes

Step 1:

Long live the "pappa col pomodoro"! This is the famous slogan by Giamburrasca, from his "Giornalino" written by Luigi Bertelli (Vamba). But the recipe is certainly much older. Dante used the noun in the masculine form, as is still done today with children. And it is perhaps the custom of giving children (and the toothless elderly) a simple dish, easy to digest but fairly rich in proteins, that the pappa has today become a dish served in luxury restaurants. Naturally the tomato appears among the ingredients much later, after the discovery of America (from Peru, Aztec tomatl). Our recipe (there are several different ones) is fairly simple, under certain aspects similar to the "acqua cotta".

Step 2:

Boil slices of home-made bread, celery, parsley, onion, carrot, basil and fresh tomatoes, all cut into small pieces (some people chop them but we do not agree), in water and season with salt and pepper. When this is cooked (about half an hour) add olive oil and serve like a soup, piping hot. You can use more or less water depending on whether you prefer a more or less liquid soup. The secret for obtaining the best result are freshly-picked vegetables from the garden and naturally risen stale bread, cooked in a wood oven.