Pappa al Pomodoro

It's technically spring now, but with this crazy Texas weather (snow on March 20th???!!), there may still be some chilly nights that would be perfect for this soup, which is basically a jazzed up tomato soup. I served this with the perfect accompaniment--a jazzed up grilled cheese, of course! I used "fancy" bread, 2 kinds of cheese and tomatoes--it was delicious! As yummy as this was, I'm a bit of a food traditionalist (well, I'm actually a bit of a "life traditionalist" too!), so next time I make it I may omit the carrots and celery to make it more of a standard tomato soup.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup medium diced carrots
1 cup medium diced celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups diced ciabatta bread, crusts removed
2 (28 oz.) cans Italian plum tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Topping:
3 cups diced ciabatta bread
2 oz. thickly sliced pancetta, chopped (we ate this during our vegetarian month, so we skipped the pancetta and were totally fine without it)
24-30 whole fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oil in a large stockpot, over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the bread cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Place tomatoes in food processor and pulse briefly, just until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot, along with the stock, wine, basil, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat and allow to simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes.
For the topping: Preheat oven to 375. Place the bread, pancetta and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes, until all ingredients are crisp.
Beat the soup with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the Parmesan. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot, sprinkled with toppings.

Source: annies-eats.com