Cooked Bread: Pancotto

Ingredients

• 2 cups bread stale
• 1 tablespoon currants 
• 0.3 cup fennel fronds 
• 1 pound fennel bulb cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 10  mint leaves fresh
• 1 tablespoon parsley fresh chopped
• 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 0.3 cup olive oil extra-virgin for drizzling
• 1 tablespoon pinenuts toasted
• 6  plum tomatoes canned peeled seeded
• 6 servings salt and pepper black freshly ground
• 6 cups water hot
• 2  pepperocini dried whole plus more for garnish
• 2  pepperocini dried whole plus more for garnish

Equipment

• bowl
• pot

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, fennel, whole chiles and currants and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the parsley, tomatoes and the toasted pine nuts, stirring to combine. Cook the tomato mixture for about 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Add the hot water, salt, and pepper, to taste, stirring to combine. Bring the tomato stock to a boil and add the bread pieces. Allow the stock to cook 1 minute more so that the bread has a chance to heat up and thicken the stock before removing from the heat. Stir in the mint leaves and fennel fronds and season each individual bowl of pancotto with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
5. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and garnish with fennel fronds and pepperocini.