6 people
SOUP
Ina Garten Back to Basics (p. 68)
Yellow onions - 2
Carrots - 3
Fennel - 1
Garlic - 4 cloves
Basil - 8 sprigs
Pancetta - 2 oz
Plum tomatoes (can) - 56 oz
Chicken stock - 32 oz
Red wine - 1⁄2 cup
Ciabatta bread - 1 loaf
Parmesan cheese - 2 oz
Yellow onions - chop to yield 2 cups
Carrots - medium-dice to yield 1 cup
Fennel - trim, core and dice to yield 1 1/2 cups
Garlic - mince to yield 4 tsp
Ciabatta - remove cursts and dice to yield 6 cups
Basil - chop 4 sprigs of leaves to yield 1 cup, pluc 20 to 30 leaves from remaining stems and set aside for topping
Parmesan - grate to yield 1/2 cup
Pancetta - dice
Heat 1⁄2 cup of olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add 3 cups of the diced Ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Place the tomatoes in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or blender and process just until coarsley chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, 1 cup of chopped basil, 1 tbl salt and 1 1⁄2 tsp of 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 to make the topping. Place the remaining 3 cups of Ciabatta cubes, the pancetta and whole basil leaves 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, tossing occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes until all the ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark.
Beat the soup with a wire whisk to ensure the bread is broken up. Stir in 1⁄2 cup of Parmesan cheese and taste for seasonings. Serve hot, sprinkled with pancetta crisps, Ciabatta croutons and crispy basil leaves.