Ingredients
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
- 1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium-diced (1 1/2 cups)
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes, crusts removed
- 2 (28-ounce) cans good Italian plum tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 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
For the topping:
- 3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes
- 2 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, chopped
- 24 to 30 whole fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus more for serving
- Salt and pepper
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 more minutes. Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel 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.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
For the topping, place the ciabatta cubes, pancetta, and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark and crisp, which is perfectly fine. Reheat the soup, if necessary, beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Serve hot sprinkled with the topping and drizzled with additional olive oil.
Photo: Pappa Al Pomodoro Recipe


















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By mlorenz1234
Powell, Ohio
on February 07, 2012
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Delicious and simple, as all of Ina's recipes are. A new staple in our house! The second day is even better than the first!!
By mla07
New York, NY
on January 23, 2012
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This recipe was perfect for a simple Sunday dinner. I substituted leaks for the fennel because the grocery store didn't have any when I went shopping, but the flavors were still quite good. I pureed it at the end as well. The topping was great- a bit hestitant about the crisp basil, but it added a great texture and flavor along with the bread and pancetta. Looking forward to trying it with fennel next time.
By Busy Lindsay
CA
on October 31, 2011
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We really enjoyed this soup, but the topping was our favorit part. The second time I made this recipe we snacked on the topping like it was a snack mix. For those of you that don't care for fennel, you can't taste it in this recipe. I gave this recipe 4 stars instead of 5 because although the soup was good, we felt it was missing something; not sure what, but I'll keep playing wiht the recipe.
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