Papa di pomidoro (fried bread with tomatoes)        

                                                Prep time: 15 minutes

                                                Cook time: 15 minutes

                                                Serves: 4

My introduction to this dish was one of the most pleasurable I’ve ever experienced. It happened in the town of Colle val d’Elsa, in Tuscany, Italy, in the Piazza St. Agostino when I was there with my family. The small restaurant specialized in regional dishes, and this was one of several local dishes we absolutely loved.

We ordered it as a starter even though we didn’t know if it should be a starter or main course. Since then, I’ve made it many times as an accompaniment to a meat dish usually. Basically, it is an Italian version of stuffing, or served alone, an alternative to a soup course. It is one of the easiest to make in this collection of recipes, but the flavor is always pleasing. It is comfort food, through and through. Give it a try!

MUSIC: Do you like Hip-Hop? Eminem, anyone? Okay, forget that one for now. Bill Evans LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD or his collaboration with Toots Thielemans, AFFINITY, while not very Italian, would work well here. Of course, Italian operatic arias by Puccini, preferably duets, would probably be best.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED:

1. Italian bread or baguette, fresh or stale, about one and ½ quarts volume
2. Tomatoes, 2 large field or beefsteak
3. Olive oil, high quality, ½ to ¾ Cup
4. Garlic, 3 large cloves, chopped
5. Salt and pepper

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Break the bread into pieces and chop further or put into a food processor to make pieces about the size of popped corn.
• Chop tomatoes to same size and mix with bread in a bowl, or add tomatoes to the food processor with the already processed bread. IMPORTANT: do not use too many tomatoes. The ratio of bread to tomatoes should be about 1 to 1 or 1 ½ to 1. You don’t want tomato sauce. The final mixture should be the consistency of a moist stuffing that goes in a turkey.
• Heat olive oil to medium in a large skillet and add the bread-tomato mixture and garlic.
• Cook, avoiding burning, to soften and heat fully, usually 10 minutes. You may add some more tomatoes, oil, or water if it is too dry.
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Serve warm

CADENZA: I usually don’t top it off with parmesan cheese, but it wouldn’t hurt.

WINE: An Italian red wine (Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone) could elevate this dish into full entrée status. Otherwise, marry the wine to the main course.

About tomatoes: Ripening tomatoes has nothing to do with sunlight. In fact, they ripen best in the dark, at room temperature. A refrigerated tomato: Sad, sad, sad.