RR Day! Pappa al Pomodoro

I checked out Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals from the library, and last night I made a pot of Pappa al Pomodoro.

Yes...I know, I need to do a little work with my food photography! LOL.

It was really delicious, I served the remainder of the ciabatta bread on the side with some balsamic vinegar dip.

Pappa al Pomodoro--from Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals

1 loaf chewy bread, such as ciabatta

1/4 cup EVOO

1 sprig fresh rosemary

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion

1 cup chicken stock

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves

Salt and black pepper

Freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano or grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Chop about 2 cups of the bread and reserve the rest to pass at the table.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup of the EVOO, 4 times around the pan, then add the sprig of rosemary and the garlic. Peel and halve the onion, , and, using a box grater or other hand-held grater, grate the onion directly into the soup pot. Saute the mixture for 5 minutes, then remove the rosemary stem. Add the chicken stock and the tomatoes and bring it to a bubble. Add the bread chunks and stir until the bread has melted into the soup; the result is a soup-er thick consistency. Tear or shred the basil and stir it into the soup. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and ladle the soup into bowls. Top with lots of shaved Parm.

It's really delicious, good melded flavors and perfect for a rainy evening (which we had yesterday)

Tonight I have a big women's ministry board meeting, it's always interesting, but a lot of work.

Today I helped in the kids' classes. In Grace's class, it was a big mess. We tye died t-shirts for their last day of school party--ugh, my hands are very stained. We also painted "hot air balloons" that they had made from paper mache.

I'm off to read a little before I have to go get Logan from school.