Italian Tomato Florentine Soup

Wildroze's Note:

This is by far my favorite soup. It is by far the closest recipe I have found to my Grandmother's. I have tweaked it a little, and adjusted the measurements to make it a bit more diet friendly, but it still holds the authentic flavor of the roman original. Adding tiny noodles like acini de peppe works fine. Day old/stale bread really works best for this, NOT fresh. Toast the bread a bit first if you are using a fresh loaf. Flavors marry beautifully after sitting over night for wonderful leftovers.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-8

Yield: 8.0 bowls

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 cups whole canned tomatoes (canned fine)
• 2 cups tomatoes, diced (canned fine)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups spinach, rinsed, stems trimmed, leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 3 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 4 ounces prosciutto, diced or 4 ounces country ham
• 1 -2 cup romano cheese, grated
• Italian bread

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.
3. Add the whole tomatoes(crushing them by hand as you add them to the pot), diced tomatoes, broth, spinach, wine and herbs. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer 35 minutes.
5. Add the prosciutto and simmer 10 minutes longer.
6. Meanwhile, cut the bread into 3/4 inch slices and place them at the bottom of the serving bowls. (For an added flavor, toast the bread slightly and rub with a slice of garlic.) Sprinkle the top of each slice with cheese.
7. Carefully spoon the soup over the bread, completely covering the slice by at least an inch, and garnish with more of the Romano cheese.
8. Leftovers are even better the second day, and freeze well.