← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 onions (about 600 g), thinly sliced
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 1 Carrot, diced
• 1 clove Garlic, chopped
• 1 can tin of peeled tomatoes (400 g), crushed
• 1 l vegetable stock
• 10 g Dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water and chopped (optional)
• 4 Eggs
• 4 slices slices of stale Tuscan or country bread, toasted
• 40 g Pecorino romano, grated
• 1 handful basil leaves
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Warm the oil in a wide, lidded pan over low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook slowly for 20 min, stirring now and then, until very soft and sweet but not browned.
2. Add the celery, carrot, garlic and porcini, if using, and cook for 5 min more.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 10 min until thick and jammy, then pour in the stock and simmer for 15 min. Taste and season well.
4. Make 4 hollows in the soup and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 3–4 min, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
5. Put a slice of toast in each bowl, sprinkle with pecorino and ladle the soup and an egg over the top. Finish with basil, pepper and a drizzle of oil.

Tips

• Stale bread is better than fresh here: it soaks up the soup without going mushy.
• Pecorino is made with animal rennet; pick a vegetarian hard cheese if that matters to you.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

GialloZafferano BBC Good Food