1 small onion, chopped

1 rib of celery, chopped

2 small potatoes,peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1 15 ounce can tomatoes

Handful of fresh mentuccia (a mint-like herb)

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 eggs

Parmigiano Reggiano

4 slices stale country bread

Extra virgin olive oil

Acquacotta means "cooked water" and the distinctive thing about this soup is that the vegetables are cooked in water rather than sautéed in oil.  Begin by putting the tomatoes, plus two cans full of water (about 1 liter) into a pot.  Add the rest of the vegetables and simmer covered for at least an hour until the vegetables are soft, but not falling apart.  Add the fresh mentuccia, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Just before serving, drop one egg per person into the soup and top it with about a teaspoon grated parmigiano.  Cover the pot and simmer until the white is cooked through but the yolk is still liquid (about 5 minutes).  Toast the slices of bread and rub them with garlic, if desired.  Arrange the toasts in the bottom of large bowls, then ladle the soup with egg over the top.  Garnish with olive oil-the tradition in Viterbo is to pour the olive oil in the shape of a cross.

**Note on Ingredients:  Potatoes in Italy are very flavorful, so avoid russets and go for something more like a Yukon Gold or heirloom potato.   Mentuccia is common in Rome and greater Lazio, but it may be difficult to find.  A small amount of fresh mint or basil is a reasonable substitution; you could also leave it out completely.

Serves 4