Portuguese Bread Soup (Acorda)
Servings: 4
This summery version of the traditional dish cooks bread and squash in broth until their consistency is porridge-like. Just before serving, a raw egg is stirred into each portion, which makes the soup creamy. If you prefer, you could garnish each serving with a poached egg instead.
The recipe calls for raw eggs but if you are concerned about the risk of salmonella, use pasteurised eggs, available in some supermarkets.
The soup is best served on the day it’s made.
Make ahead: Fresh bread can be torn into pieces and held at room temperature for 1 day.
Ingredients
1 bunch cilantro
4 large cloves garlic
2 tsp sea salt, plus more as needed
1/4 cup olive oil
225g slender summer squash or zucchini, cut into thin rounds
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 to 5 cups no-salt-added, light-coloured vegetable or chicken broth, preferably homemade
225g day-old or stale bread from a country-style French or Italian loaf, torn into bite-size pieces
4 small garlic scapes, cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch pieces
4 small or medium eggs
Steps
Separate the cilantro leaves from their stems; you should have about 1 1/2 cups, loosely packed. Finely chop the leaves and transfer to a medium bowl. Finely chop the stems and place in a separate bowl.
Combine the garlic and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle; reduce them to a paste, then add to the bowl of chopped cilantro leaves.
Heat 2 tbs of the oil in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat for a few minutes, then add the squash or zucchini, the onion, cilantro stems and 1/2 tsp of salt; stir to incorporate, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add 4 cups of broth and the remaining 1 1/2 tsp of salt; once the mixture is bubbling at the edges, stir in the bread. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bread has absorbed most of the liquid, creating a porridge-like consistency. The vegetables should be soft.
If the bread is still holding its shape after 10 minutes yet has absorbed all the liquid, add some or all of the remaining cup of broth. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally; very stale bread can take 15 to 20 minutes to achieve the desired texture.
Once the soup becomes thick and creamy, add the scapes, cook for 1 minute, then quickly add the garlic-cilantro mixture and the remaining 2 tbs of oil. Taste, and add salt as needed.
Ladle the hot soup into individual, warmed bowls, crack an egg into each and stir in thoroughly. Serve right away.
Nutrition per serving: 380 calories, 13g protein, 43g carbohydrates, 18g fat, 4g saturated fat, 140mg cholesterol, 1,450mg sodium, 3g dietary fibre, 9g sugar
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Spiced Chickpeas and Haricots Verts on Grilled Bread
Servings: 4
Ladled over days-old thick slices of broiled or grilled bread, this brothy dish elevates a stale slice to something juicy and succulent. Sourdough, levain or rye loaves work especially well with the flavours here, but most savoury loaves would be a fine choice.
This is a delicious showcase for early-summer alliums, but the format is flexible: different beans could be swapped for the chickpeas, leeks for the onions and other vegetables, such as asparagus or zucchini, for the haricots verts.
Make ahead: You’ll need to soak the dried chickpeas overnight. The chickpeas may be cooked up to three days in advance and stored in their reserved cooking liquid in the refrigerator. The spices may be toasted and ground up to one week in advance and held in an airtight container. Leftover chickpeas and haricots verts will keep in the refrigerator for three days. Reheat gently before serving.
Ingredients
For the chickpeas and beans:
1 cup dried chickpeas
Water
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 tsp sea salt, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp cumin seed
2 tsp coriander seed
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 large spring onion, greens attached, bulb and greens thinly sliced, separated (may substitute 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced, or 4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced)
2 large or 4 small stalks green garlic, thinly sliced (may substitute 2 large cloves garlic, minced)
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
Four thick slices stale bread (2 or 3 ounces each; see headnote)
225g haricots verts (thin French green beans), cut on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths (may substitute regular green beans)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
For optional garnish:
1/2 preserved lemon, diced or thinly sliced
Homemade or store-bought harissa
Extra-virgin olive oil
Steps
For the chickpeas and beans:
Place the dried chickpeas in a bowl; cover with water by an inch or two. Let them soak overnight at room temperature. Drain.
Place the soaked, drained chickpeas in a medium pot; cover with water by 2 or 3 inches. Add the bay leaf, 1 tbs of the oil and a pinch of salt. Bring to barely a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium, partially cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the chickpeas are just tender. Remove from the heat, close the lid and let rest for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving at least 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaf.
Toast the caraway, cumin and coriander seeds in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan to avoid scorching. Transfer to a small bowl to cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a mortar and pestle or a dedicated spice grinder. Transfer to a small bowl, along with the crushed red pepper flakes.
Heat 2 tbs of the oil in a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion whites and the green garlic; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, just until translucent. Add the toasted spice blend; stir for 1 minute, then add the tomato paste, stirring for 1 minute. Add the 3 cups of chickpea cooking liquid and the remaining salt as needed; increase the heat to medium. Once the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, partially cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element; preheat the broiler. (Or prepare a grill for direct heat.) Brush the bread slices with the remaining tablespoon of oil, arrange them on a baking sheet and broil for about 3 minutes on each side, just until lightly charred and golden. Place one slice in each serving bowl.
Add the drained, cooked chickpeas and the haricots verts to the broth mixture in the saucepan or Dutch oven; cook for 5 minutes or just until the haricots verts are tender. Stir in the parsley and cook for 1 minute.
When ready to serve, ladle the chickpeas, haricots verts and their broth over the bread in each bowl, making sure to thoroughly sauce the bread.
Serve right away, with preserved lemon, harissa and/or a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.
Nutrition per serving: 450 calories, 16g protein, 61g carbohydrates, 14g fat, 2g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1,110mg sodium, 12g dietary fibre, 3g sugar
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Rhubarb Betty
Servings: 5 to 6
This sweet-tart version of the old-fashioned betty takes advantage of days-old crusts, which lend the dessert a nutty flavour and lots of crisp-chewy texture.
If you don’t have enough leftover crust on hand, whole slices of stale bread — any loaf without a strong savoury component, such as herbs or olives — can be used. A scoop of plain yogurt is a nice complement.
The recipe calls for coconut butter, which is thick and contains coconut meat; it is not the same thing as coconut oil. Find it at health food and/or organic stores.
Make ahead: The crumbs can be processed a day in advance and held at room temperature. Leftovers can be reheated in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Ingredients
450g rhubarb, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp ground cardamom
140g stale bread crusts
1/4 cup coconut butter (see headnote)
Steps
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have an 8-by-8-inch or 7-by-11-inch baking dish at hand.
Combine the rhubarb, brown sugar, almond extract and cardamom in a mixing bowl, stirring until well combined.
Place the crusts in a blender or food processor; pulse just until you have a mixture of coarse and fine crumbs, up to two minutes. You should have two cups.
Melt the coconut butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on LOW for 20 to 30 seconds. (Alternately, melt it in a saucepan over medium-low heat.)
Add the crust crumbs to the bowl with the melted coconut butter; mix well. Spread a third of the mixture in the bottom of the baking dish, then spread half of the rhubarb mixture over the layer of crumbs. Repeat with another third of the crumbs and the remaining rhubarb mixture. Top with the remaining third of the crumbs.
Cover loosely with aluminium foil (shiny side down); bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned; when you spoon into the betty, the rhubarb should be soft yet hold its shape.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving (based on 6): 220 calories, 3g protein, 39g carbohydrates, 7g fat, 6g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 3g dietary fibre, 23g sugar