Ingredients portion 6
Tomatoes 1kg
Garlic 3 cloves
Basil 1 bundle
Stale white bread 500 g
Plum tomatoes in their own juice 1 jar
Extra virgin olive oil 5 tablespoons
Grated parmesan cheese 100 g
Sea salt pinch
Salted anchovies in oil 2 pieces
Chilli pepper ½ piece
Ground black pepper pinch
Cooking instructions 30 minutes
1 Peel the tomatoes with the tip of a knife and soak them in hot water for 40 seconds. Then drain the water and peel the tomatoes under cold water. Squeeze the guts out of the tomatoes, not necessarily all the way through, and set them aside.
2 Pour a little olive oil into a deep non-stick saucepan to cover the bottom. Peel and finely chop three cloves of garlic and toss into the pan. Finely chop half the chilli peppers and toss in the same. Put the tomatoes in the pan and lightly crush with a spatula. Take a large bundle of basil – it goes well with the tomatoes, chop the stems finely and add to the pan, and set the leaves aside. Next, put in the two anchovy carcasses – they will dissolve completely so that you won’t even feel them. Pour in a can of good canned tomatoes, preferably Italian. Stir well and let simmer for a minute.
3 Take good stale white bread, cut it in half and crumble the flesh into the soup. Allow the bread to soften for a couple of minutes. Take the bread and tomatoes in equal proportions. Add a little water to cover the tomatoes and let simmer for a couple of minutes more. Meanwhile, add the Parmesan, a pinch of salt and pepper, five tablespoons of good olive oil and torn basil leaves; mix everything thoroughly.
Recipe tip We take canned tomatoes to add sweetness. Fresh ones are not at their most juicy right now. In midsummer, you can only take fresh ones. Or you could do with tinned tomatoes and that would be delicious too. Chilli peppers, parmesan and anchovies are not in the classic recipe, but I like it better that way.
