Pappa Al Pomodoro

Ingredients

Prep

• 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 — look at you, operating like a highly paid adult.
• Pancetta - dice — this is the unglamorous shit that makes the good part happen.

Instructions

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, and ignore any drive-by culinary nonsense from the sidelines. Cook, tossing occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes until all the ingredients are crisp, while resisting the deeply human urge to fuss with it nonstop. 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.