Firstly, let’s blanch the tomatoes. Cut a cross insertion at the tip of the tomato, just slicing through the skin. Add the tomatoes to boiling water for a minute, and transfer them into a bath of cold water afterwards. The tomato peel should come right off.

Bring vegetable stock to a simmering. Next, finely dice your onion. Smash the garlic cloves, and mince them finely. Next, break up the tomatoes by hand into manageable pieces. I like a bit of tomato texture to remain in the pappa al pomodoro. Lastly, cut your stale bread of choice into manageable bits.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to your pot, and heat to medium heat. Sauté the onions for a minute before adding the garlic, and sauté until the onions turn translucent. Next, add your tomato sauce, a few basil leaves and the bread. Bring everything to a simmer, and stir until a thick soup forms. Start adding ladlefuls of the vegetable stock.

Simmer the soup until everything has come together nicely. You aim for a thick soup with lots of consistency. Season with salt and pepper and an additional sip of olive oil to bring everything together.

To plate the pappa al pomodoro, garnish the soup with a pinch of salt and pepper, a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, and a few basil leaves.