Barefoot Bloggers: pappa al pomodoro

This is a classic Italian soup in which leftover bread is used as a thickener. This recipe was chosen by Natalie at Burned Bits, thanks Natalie!

Pappa al Pomodoro (Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics)
1/2 cup good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and sliced (I substituted celery)
4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
3 cups diced ciabatta bread, crusts removed
2 (28 oz) cans good plum tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Topping:
3 cups diced ciabatta bread
2 oz thickly sliced pancetta, chopped (or you can use thick bacon)
24-30 whole fresh basil leaves
3 Tbls good olive oil, plus more for serving

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel (celery), and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Place the tomatoes in the bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil and 1 Tbls salt, and 1 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. For the topping, place the ciabatta, pancetta (bacon), and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold everything in 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. The basil leaves will turn dark and crispy. Reheat the soup, if necessary, and beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Serve hot, sprinkled with the topping and drizzled with additional olive oil. Serves 6.