Acquacotta con Peperoni
(Acquacotta means “cooked water,” a traditonal soup that takes its name from the days when it included little more than a few vegetables, boiled in water and poured over slices of stale bread. This is a more extravagant modem version.)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 red peppers, cored, deseeded, and cut into very thin strips
2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon of flour
3 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 eggs
4 thick slices of bread
salt and pepper
chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish
Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan; add onion, celery and red peppers and cook gently, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until softened.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, and flour and stir well to mix. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste; half cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then whisk in a ladelful or two of the hot soup. Pour this mixture into the soup and heat very gently without boiling, stirring all the time. Taste for seasoning.
Place a slice of bread in the bottoms of 4 soup plates, ladle the soup over and garnish with parsley.
Preparation time: 15 min. – Cooking time 30 min.
