TOMATO BREAD SOUP

TOMATO BREAD SOUP
Made with out stock or water—just tomatoes, both fresh and canned —and topped with basil ricotta.

SOUP:
3 lbs. ripe plum tomatoes, cored
1 can (14.50oz) whole plum tomatoes in juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for serving
½ medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp. coarse salt, plus extra for seasoning
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 slices day-old sourdough bread, crust removed, cut into ½-inch cubes
Basil ricotta (for hot preparation):
1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
¼ tsp. coarse salt

BASIL PUREE (for cold preparation):
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
½-cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. coarse salt
Grated ricotta salata cheese
To make soup:

Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Using a parry knife, score the bottom of each tomato with X. Add tomatoes to boiling water and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the skin at the X begins to peel back. Using a slotted spoon, remove tomatoes and immediately place in the bowl of ice water. Let stand until cool. Peel tomatoes.

Halve tomatoes lengthwise and squeeze juice and seeds through a sieve set over a bowl. Repeat with canned tomatoes. Stir seeds to further release juices. The juice should measure 2 cups; add water if necessary and set aside.
In a food processor with metal blades attaches, roughly chop fresh and canned tomatoes.
In a 4-quart soup pot, combine olive oil, onion, garlic, ½ tsp. salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until onion is tender but not brown, about 12 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, tomato juice and remaining 1-tsp. salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, to make basil ricotta; in a food processor with metal blades attached, roughly chop basil leaves. Add ricotta and salt, and process until smooth.

To make basil puree;
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Stir basil leaves into boiling water and cook 20 seconds. Drain basil and immediately place in bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Squeeze basil by hand to remove water.
In a food processor with metal blades attached, finely chop basil. Add olive oil and salt; processes until pureed. Pour puree into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Twenty minutes before serving place bread cubes in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove bread from water and squeeze to remove moisture. Whisk bread into soup and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Season soup with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup hot and drizzle with additional olive oil and basil ricotta. Or serve cold with basil puree and grated ricotta salata.

Yield: 6 servings.