Tomato and Bread Soup

Long overdue, but here is an old staple of ours posted at last. Perfect in summer and in winter (if you can find good enough tomatoes), any time the ends of a loaf of bread need eating.

The recipe is adapted from James Beard's Cooking for Two, which we received as a wedding gift and have used much since.

Heat a good 1/4 cup of excellent olive oil in a pan and add one small onion and two cloves of garlic, all minced. Cook until translucent, then add 3-4 ripe tomatoes that smell like summer (otherwise don't bother) and a teaspoon of salt; cook about 20 mins. until the tomatoes are soft. Turn off the heat, stir in 3/4 cup of bread crumbs, and allow to sit for a few minutes. Top with freshly grated parmesan and basil leaves.

This is a meal in itself, but a glass of red wine certainly won't go amiss.