Pappa Al Pomodoro (Italian Bread And Tomato Soup) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 cloves garlic
1 large onion, peeled,cut in half,thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper
1 (1 3/4 lb) can plum tomatoes
1 lb stale bread, sliced,torn into small pieces
6 cups broth, of your choosing
1 cup packed basil, shredded
grated parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil with the chili pepper until the garlic has lightly browned and the onion is just getting golden; add the tomato; season with salt; add half the basil leaves torn into tiny pieces; crush the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon and stir; cook until the tomatoes fall apart (about 20 minutes).
Put the bread into the sauce; the bread will soak up the sauce and it will get quite thick; add enough stock to soften the bread and to make it liquidy; add the remaining basil and cook until the bread becomes a kind of mush (this is called'pappa').
Serve, sprinkling with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over each serving.