Viva La Pappa... Al Pomo-Pomo-Pomo-Pomodoro!

Sang Rita Pavone, who donned a boy's suite to play Gianino Stoppani in the film version of Gianburrasca, Vamba's children's classic (she sings the song for TV here). Of course in the story, Giannino and his friends, who are in reform school, are leaving grains of red dye on their plates, which gradually color the rinse water the cook and the dishwasher keep from Sunday to Thursday and use to make soup on Friday (the best meal of the week). Faced with unexpectedly red rinse water, the cook makes pappa al pomodoro...

Which Giannino and his friends keep the others from eating. He would have been quite happy to eat real pappa al pomodoro, however -- it's one of the most classic and best loved Tuscan summer dishes, invariably serving fewer than one would expect because everyone demands seconds.

And a couple of other tomatoey ideas:

• Insalata Caprese, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
• Pomodori Marinati, a Tasty, Zesty Tomato Salad
• Pasta all'Ammiraglio, a Delightfully Tomatoey Pasta Salad.