Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) stale Italian bread (see note)
- 1/2 pound (225 g) freshly grated sharp Pecorino Sardo or Toscano (not Romano) or Parmigiano
- 1 pound (450 g) sun-ripened tomatoes
- A small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, one chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 basil leaves
Preparation:
To begin with, a note about the bread:To make this you will need real Italian bread of the kind that's baked directly on the oven floor, which has a firm crust, and whose crumb has the body necessary to stand up to being soaked without becoming a mushy paste. American-style (what Italians call pane in cassetta) softer white (or other style) bread baked in a bread pan simply won't work here.
Returning to the recipe, slice the bread, toast it (ideally over the coals) and rub the slices with a garlic clove.
Next, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a saucepot until the onion becomes translucent. Slice the tomatoes into the pot, squeezing them in your hand to crush them somewhat as you do so. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
As variations you can add a half cup or so of diced pancetta to the mixture (sauté it with the onions and garlic), or some crumbled sausage meat, and also (if you add meat), a bay leaf.
While the sauce is simmering bring a shallow pot of water to boil, lightly salt it, and soak the slices of bread in it for a few minutes to soften them. Remove them with a strainer and let the excess water drip away.
Put a layer of bread in a tureen, seasoning it with some of the tomato sauce and the cheese, add another layer of wet bread, and continue with the other ingredients until all is used up, finishing with a slightly more abundant dusting of cheese.
Serve with a zesty red, for example a Dolcetto or a Rosso di Tempio.
