Left over bread - Warming winter tomato soup recipe

If you have some left over bread, it's winter and your immune system needs a bit of a boost, My winter tomato soup recipe is just what you need .  Its really easy to make, takes very little time, one of the cheapest meals I know.  I used to make this recipe a lot as a student, and had not make it in many years until the other day when I was wondering what I can make from the large amounts left over from experimenting with a focaccia recipe.

You want to use a bread that is going to hold together, focaccia, ciabatta or a good sourdough are best, but you could use a slightly stale ordinary commercial bread.

This recipe can use tomatoes that you have preserved from the summer, or can use a combination of tinned and fresh tomatoes.  There are some very good quality tinned tomatoes available which will produce great results.  Here is what I used this time, because is was already in the house;

Makes about 4 portions

3 medium sized onions
400 ml of tomato passata (could substitute for 2 tine of tomatoes)
a handful of cherry tomatoes
one hole bulb of garlic
approx 500 ml lamb stock (also works with just water or stock cube)
salt and pepper
olive oil
sprigs of dried thyme
left over Focacca (or other rustic bread)


Finley chop the onions and soften in a olive oil, be very generous with the olive oil.  Chop and add the garlic, passata, season with lots black pepper, throw in a few branches of dried thyme and stock, leave to simmer for 15 - 60 minutes depending on how much time you have.  After simmering you can pull the twigs of thyme out, the good bits, the little leaves will have fallen off.  Put your fresh tomato into the pot and simmer for a few more minutes so that they are beginning to cook, this is a good time to finish seasoning with salt and more pepper. Cut the focaccia or other bread into cubes, approx 2 cm is a good size, then gently mix.  Most of the liquid will will be absorbed by the bread leaving a really thick soup.  After a couple of minutes sitting off the heat, the soup is ready to server.

Server on its own or topped with a spoon of sour cream or maybe some Parmesan.  This Soup is guaranteed to make you feel better on a cold winter day.