Meatless Meal - Pappa Al Pomodoro

Yes, another Barefoot Contessa recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup good olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

*1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)

*1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium diced (1 1/2 cups)

4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)

3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta bread, crusts removed

2 (28-ounce) cans good Italian plum tomatoes (she recommends San Marzano)

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*True confessions.  I forgot to put carrots on my grocery list and simply chose not to put the fennel on it.  I have realized that I do not love the taste of fennel, so often leave it out of her recipes.  She seems to enjoy it (quite a bit).  I would have thrown in the carrots, but feel that I did not miss out on their flavor in the final product.

Directions

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots, fennel, and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for *10 minutes, until tender.  Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 minutes. Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steal blade and process just until coarsely chopped.  Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.

*Note to moms of toddlers or distracted women, do not worry if you allow soup to simmer longer than suggested times.  Having prepared this recipe post-naps on a Friday evening, I can attest to prolonged cooking times and delicious results.

P.S. Just because this recipe contains bread (one of reasons it caught my eye), does not mean you have to fore go eating it with a hunk of toasted leftover ciabatta bread.  In fact, I highly recommend doing so!