[View previous soups]

Don't be put off by the fact that I'm serving the same soup six or seven days in a row. Good food handling practices are observed at all times, and a new batch of soup is whipped up often enough to reasonably avoid poisoning of any sort. That's our motto here at Mary's Page: "Save the airsick bags for those that need 'em." [Note: A complimentary airsick bag will be provided to all visitors to the Mary Forrest Poetry Archive. Mail-in fulfillment only.]

four 3/4-inch- (2-cm-) thick slices peasant bread
1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and sliced
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
14 large basil leaves, washed well and cut across into narrow strips
1 3/4 pounds (790 g) plum tomatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch (.5-cm) dice
4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock [for a vegetarian soup, use Garlic Broth]
2 teaspoons coarse salt, or less if using commercial broth
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
good olive oil, for serving

Heat the oven to 225°F (107°C; less than #1/2 gas mark; less than #1/4 British regulo). Place the bread directly on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, just to dry the bread out; do not brown. Break the bread into large pieces.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the basil and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cook at a low boil for 13 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the stock, bread, salt, and pepper. Return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring and breaking up the bread with the back of a spoon, for 15 minutes. The bread should break down to a mush. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Serve with a few grinds of fresh pepper, and drizzled with some good olive oil.

Makes 6 cups.

Soup: A Way of Life
Brbara Kafka

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