Maremma Tomato and Onion Soup with Poached Eggs

What you need

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 500 g (1 lb) ripe tomatoes, peeled, or one 400 g (14 oz) can whole tomatoes, chopped
• 1 l (4 cups) water
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 6 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 4 slices stale country bread, about 2 cm (3/4 in) thick, preferably unsalted Tuscan
• 4 large eggs, very fresh
• 40 g (1/2 cup) pecorino, finely grated
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over low heat. Add the onions and celery with a pinch of the salt.

2. 2

   Cook slowly, stirring now and then, until very soft and sweet but not browned, 20 min.

3. 3

   Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and crush them with a spoon.

4. 4

   Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down into a thick paste, 8-10 min.

5. 5

   Pour in the water and add the remaining salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer uncovered until the soup is full-flavored and slightly thickened, 25 min.

6. 6

   Stir in the basil. Taste and adjust the salt.

7. 7

   Heat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and toast the bread until dry and crisp at the edges, 6-8 min. Put 1 slice in the bottom of each of 4 deep bowls.

8. 8

   Keep the soup at a gentle simmer. Crack the eggs into it one at a time, spaced apart. Poach until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, 3-4 min.

9. 9

   The yolks stay soft, so use pasteurized eggs if serving anyone young, elderly, pregnant or immunocompromised.

10. 10

    Lift each egg onto a bread slice with a slotted spoon. Ladle the hot soup around it, sprinkle with the pecorino and pepper, and finish with a thread of olive oil.

Imported from apertureoncourt.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.