Stefano de Pieri

Zuppa di pane o della felicita - Soup of happiness

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2-3 cups diced vegetables (eg. carrots, celery, onions)
olive oil
4 ripe Roma tomatoes, skinned and seeded
500g stale, good crusty bread (not sourdough) broken into pieces
3-4 litres chicken stock or water
basil leaves
parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil

Method

Gently fry the vegetables in a bit of oil. Add the tomatoes.

Add the bread and the stock, a little at a time, until you see that the bread cannot soak it up any more.

A little milk may give some creaminess.

Add the basil and parmesan cheese, and let your guests decide if they want any olive