Pappa al Pomodoro

Luckily, for the times I spend the last of my pay on Saturday night's taxi fare, there's cucina povera to head off starvation until I can afford to do a proper food shop. Mid summer, when tomatoes are sweet, ripe and cheap, you can't beat Pappa al Pomodoro - tomato and bread soup.

Good quality bread with a dense texture is best for this recipe, but any loaf will do, really. Just don't try using sliced white bread as it is too soft and has an unpleasant slimy texture when soaked.

Don't be fooled into thinking that you can't eat soup in the warmer months.  The tomatoes and basil make this one redolent of summer, and its fresh lightness makes it perfect for when you don't feel like a heavy meal.  In any case, you'll appreciate the flavours more if you let it cool to tepid before serving.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

5 large, very ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 thick slices of stale bread, torn into chunks
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
Scant handful of basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt

Method

Put a generous amount of olive oil in a saucepan and cook the garlic on a gentle heat until softened.

Add the tomatoes to the pan and simmer gently until collapsed.  Add the vegetable stock and a few basil leaves to the pan, and stir until all is amalgamated and bubbling.

To thicken the soup, start by adding about half the bread to the pan and let it soften and swell.  You can then evaluate how much more bread you want to use. Obviously, more bread will result in a thicker soup.  When it comes to bread, I'm a 'more is more' person, but if you do accidentally overdo it and the soup ends up looking like porridge, you can easily correct it by adding more stock.

When the bread is completely soaked and falling apart, give the soup a stir and then turn off the heat.  Test for salt and add more if necessary.  Ladle the soup into bowls and let it cool down.

To serve, top the soup with a nice swirl of olive oil and a few extra basil leaves.