Ingredients (4 servings): Stale Tuscan bread, ripe red tomatoes (1 kg), extra virgin olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and black pepper.

Preparation:

1. Rinse the tomatoes and sear them for a minute, in order to make their skin peeling easier (if you like, you may also remove seeds).
2. After removing the skin, chop the tomatoes and put them in a bowl.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook a clove of garlic with extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes.
4. Remove the garlic and add the tomatoes.
5. Cook for a few minutes, covering the saucepan with a lid.
6. Add salt and black pepper as desired.
7. Crumble the stale bread and add it to the pan. Still cooking over medium heat, let the bread absorb the tomato sauce. In order to ease the cooking process you may add vegetable broth or water. Cook the soup for about 30 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.
8. Garnish and season with some fresh basil leaves and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
9. Serve hot or at room temperature, as desired.