bread soup

Photographer: Adam
Serves 4

One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is to get up and head down to my local bakery and grab a nice fresh loaf of bread, come home fill the little moka with coffee, sit down and enjoy a thick slice of fresh bread topped with butter and homemade jam (quince at the moment) and a strong cup of coffee. Inevitably I always end up with a little bit of that loaf lurking around in the pantry come Monday night. Fortunately this is perfect for turning into a thick and warming classic Tuscan soup perfect for a cold night in.

INGREDIENTS


150ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 leeks (finely diced)
0.5L beef stock
1L canned whole tomatoes puréed (blend for a few seconds in a food processor)
250g of one or two day old bread
Fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling on top

METHOD


1. Heat oil in a medium sized pot, fry off the garlic then add the leeks.
Turn the heat down low and sauté for 20 to 25 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the stock and tomatoes bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Tear up the bread into large chunks; press the bread into the liquid with a spoon. Roughly tear the basil leaves and add to pot.
4. Leave the mixture to rest for 20 to 30 minutes until the bread has absorbed some liquid and started to go soft.
5. Whisk the mixture until the all the bread has broken down and the mixture is a consistent texture.
6. Spoon into bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.