Servings: 4

• 3 red-skinned onions
• 1 yellow sweet pepper
• 1 stalk of celery
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• stale white bread (8 slices)
• 3 egg yolks
• semi-ripe pecorino, grated
• olive oil

Cut up the onions, pepper and celery. In a frying pan, sauté the onion in oil until golden, then add the pepper, celery and the tomato pulp and leave to cook slowly for about an hour.

Transfer everything in a polenta pot and add about a litre (1 3/4 pints, or 9 cups) of water. Leave to boil about ten minutes more.

Meanwhile, set out some soup bowls with slices of toast laid on the bottom, fill with the boiling "acquacotta". Place a yolk in each bowl, taking care not to let it break.

Leave to stand for a moment, sprinkle over the grated pecorino cheese, then serve.