AcquacottaTuscan vegetable and bread soup

• 90 ml6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 4 red onions (about 600 g / 1.3 lb), thinly sliced
• 3 celery stalks, with their leaves, strings removed, sliced; leaves chopped
• 1 carrot, diced; optional
• 1 small handful basil or marjoram leaves
• 400 g14 oz canned peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 200 g7 oz Swiss chard (bietole), cavolo nero or foraged wild greens, optional, cut in strips
• 1 l4 1/4 cups water, hot
• 4 very fresh eggs
• 4-8 slices stale Tuscan bread, or other firm country bread
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 60 g2/3 cup pecorino toscano, grated
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1

   1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot (cast iron or earthenware) over low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook slowly for 20-25 minutes, stirring now and then, until very soft, sweet and lightly golden.

2. 2

   2. Add the celery and its leaves, the carrot (if using) and the herbs, and cook for 5 minutes more.

3. 3

   3. Add the tomatoes and the greens, if using, and stir for a couple of minutes.

4. 4

   4. Pour in the hot water, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently, partly covered, for 40-60 minutes, until the vegetables are melting into a thin broth. Add a little water if it reduces too far.

5. 5

   5. Toast the bread, rub it with the cut garlic and put one or two slices in each bowl.

6. 6

   6. Lower the heat so the soup barely bubbles. Break the eggs into the soup one at a time, spaced apart, and poach them for 3-4 minutes without stirring, until the whites set and the yolks are still soft.

7. 7

   7. Ladle the soup over the bread, with one egg in each bowl. Cover generously with grated pecorino, add black pepper and a thread of raw olive oil, and serve at once.