Thick Tomato Bread Soup Catalan Style Recipes

TUSCAN TOMATO AND BREAD SOUP - PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Coat a large wide pot with olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, to taste, and cook until the onions are soft and very aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes, season with salt, to taste, and cook until the tomatoes are really soft and juicy, about 12 to 15 minutes. Toss in the whole basil leaves.
• Working in batches, carefully puree the tomatoes in a blender*. Return the tomato puree to the pot and add the tomato juice and the bread. Cook the soup over medium heat for until the bread has completely lost its shape and the soup is really thick, about 20 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve garnished with grated cheese, basil chiffonade and a drizzle of big fat finishing oil.

THICK TOMATO-BREAD SOUP, CATALAN STYLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and cook over low heat till soft. Add chorizo, raise heat and cook until starting to brown. Stir in paprika. Remove from heat.
• Place a sieve over the pan, halve tomatoes horizontally and hold cut side down over sieve as you gently squeeze to remove seeds and allow juice to fall into pan. Remove sieve. Reserve tomato pulp. Heat juice in pan until warm, add saffron and set aside off heat 10 minutes.
• Finely chop tomato pulp by hand or in food processor. Add to pan. Bring to a simmer. Stir in bread. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to stand, off heat, stirring from time to time, until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Fold in parsley and serve.

CATALAN FIDEUà

Steps:

• Make the broth: Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add small shrimp, garlic, hot pepper, fennel, coriander, bay leaf and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir to coat and cook 2 minutes more.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook 5 minutes, until mixture begins to look dry. Add fish bones, clams, 1 pound mussels and 8 cups water; cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• Strain through a sturdy mesh sieve into another pot, pushing on solids with a wooden spoon. Discard solids and keep strained broth hot. Taste for salt. Broth should be well seasoned. (Can be made ahead, though eat it within 24 hours, or you can freeze it.)
• Make the fideuà: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put fideus noodles in a large roasting pan or baking sheet. (If using Italian pasta, break it into 2-inch lengths first.) Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over noodles and toss with hands to coat. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning with tongs if necessary, until noodles are golden brown. (May be done in advance.)
• Place a cazuela or wide heavy pot on the stove. Add toasted noodles, pressing down a bit. Ladle 3 cups hot broth over noodles and bring to a boil. Push down on the noodles with a wooden spoon as they soften into the broth. Add saffron-infused water and cook for a minute, then stir to mix. Add enough hot broth to cover pasta by 1 inch. Lower heat and cook at a simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth (and adjust heat) if mixture dries out.
• Scatter remaining 1 pound mussels over the top, then push them down until barely submerged. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until shells open. Turn off heat. The noodles should be cooked but firm, and the mixture a little soupy.
• If using the large shell-on shrimp, season them and sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes per side.
• Ladle into individual soup plates. Mix the parsley with the orange zest. Garnish fideus with shrimp, if using, the parsley mixture and a spoonful of allioli.

TOMATO-BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and pinch of red-pepper flakes (if using) and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until they begin to break down and release their liquid, 5 minutes.
• Add 3 cups water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add bread and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until bread is soft and soup thickens, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve, divide soup among serving bowls, drizzle with a little oil, and top with basil leaves.

CATALAN TOMATO BREAD

Steps:

• Slice loaf in half horizontally.
• Set halves, cut side upon a 15 x 12-inch baking sheet.
• Broil about 4 inches from heat until toasted, about 2 minutes.
• If crust side is soft, turn over and toast 1 to 2 minutes longer.
• Cut garlic clove in half.
• Rub cloves over cut surface of bread.
• Brush or drizzle bread with oil.
• Cut tomato in half horizontally; rub cut sides over toast, squeezing slightly to release juices.
• Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch wide wedges and enjoy.

CATALAN TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to medium.
• Cut the tomato in half and grate it on the coarse side of a box grater. Reserve the tomato pulp.
• Grill the bread slices on both sides until they are slightly charred. When the bread comes off the grill rub each slice with a garlic clove and drizzle generously with olive oil. Top each toast with tomato pulp and a tiny sprinkle of salt. Cover tomato with a slice of ham and serve.
• Cinchy!

TOMATO AND BREAD SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F degrees, place bread cubes on baking sheet and toast until edges are lightly brown, about 8-10 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a 5 quart pot over medium heat, add onions and cook for 3-4 min or until they begin to soften.
• Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and continue to cook, stirring, for an additional 5 minutes or until the garlic becomes golden.
• Add pepperoncini, tomatoes, beef stock and toasted bread and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer, add basil and cook, covered, 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and drizzle with olive oil, garnish with crumbled Gorgonzola.

TOMATO BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt, oregano, garlic powder, basil and rosemary. In a large saucepan, heat the tomato juice, tomato sauce and oil to 120°-130°, stirring occasionally. Add the dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into two loaves. Place in two greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

CATALAN TOMATO BREAD

Steps:

• Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate.
• Cut bread into 3/4-inch-thick slices (cut baguette on a long diagonal for 6-inch-long slices).
• Working in batches of 3 or 4 slices, grill bread on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until grill marks appear, 1 to 2 minutes total per batch. Remove bread from heat and immediately rub 1 side of each slice with cut side of a garlic half, then rub with cut side of a tomato half, using 1 tomato half for 1 to 2 slices of bread and allowing most of pulp to be absorbed by bread (discard remainder of garlic and tomato halves). Brush bread with oil, then sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over low heat.
• 2. Sauté the garlic until just fragrant, then add the bread, stirring until all the oil is absorbed and the bread is toasted.
• 3. Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, and salt.
• 4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until the bread breaks down, about 20 minutes. Remove the garlic and serve.