A recipe – Pappa al pomodoro

A late summer burst of colours

Summer is when tomatoes are at their best, as they benefit from the warm sunny days to become red, intense, and full of beautiful flavours that those grown all year round in green houses could never aim to achieve. In Italy, we have some great tomato based dishes in the summer season, and this month’s recipe is inspired by one of those, precisely a Tuscan family meal called ‘pappa al pomodoro’.

It could be translated into some sort of ‘tomato soup’ although in Italian the word pappa is full of meaning, and any little kid would know that when someone says pappa, then it’s food time. Din dins, as we might call it over here. It is also an example of upcycling leftover food, to avoid waste and (in the original aim) to save money, as it uses stale, uneaten bread.

It is very easy to make, nourishing and comforting in its simplicity and can be made for little ones too, omitting the salt and the pepper (and the garlic should one so wish).

While most versions in Italy call for basil (and so does the recipe by author Annalisa Barbagli I used as a base), I have used fresh oregano because it grows so well here in the UK and I particularly love its more pungent and herby aroma. Do use good quality extra virgin olive oil as it really enhances the seasoning.

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