Tag: stale bread

Under My Panzanella, ella, ella, ella…

I’ve never been a big fan of panzanella salad. I love the flavors in the dish, but stale, soggy bread just isn’t something I crave. The sogginess is understandable, as this dish was invented as a way to ingest rock-hard bread, but now that we’re just making it for fun, and not to avoid starvation, we can tweak a few things for texture’s sake.


The key is frying the bread cubes in loads of olive oil, in a skillet, which obviously makes them crispy, but the healthful fat also soaks in and renders them semi-waterproof, or should I say dressing-proof. The same goes for the dusting of Parmesan we apply halfway through.

You may be tempted to save some work and bake them in the oven, but don’t. By using the pan, you get nice, crispy surfaces, but the very center of the crouton stays just a touch chewy. The oven tends to dry the bread out, and you don’t get the same texture.

The gorgeous pool of tomato juices, oil, and wine vinegar will still soak in, and soften the bread, but you’ll still get a little crunch in each bite. For me this makes all the difference in the world. I know adding things like peppers, onions, and cucumbers is quite common, but I think they simply get in the way.


Having said that, it’s your “little swamp,” which is what “Panzanella” translates to, so throw in what you like. Speaking of which, I’m not giving ingredient amounts. I’ll give a ratio, and maybe a recommendation or two, but this isn’t the kind of recipe where you should be washing measuring cups and spoons. Taste and adust, and as always, enjoy!


Ingredients:
(I like equal parts bread cubes to tomato salad)

For the bread:
stale bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, soaked well with olive oil
enough finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano to cover bread
— fry until crispy and browned

For the tomato salad:
cherry tomatoes, halved
pinch of sugar
a little minced garlic
equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil, to dress generously (add enough to create a very “swampy” mixture)
freshly sliced basil

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Celebrating National Garlic Day with Sopa de Ajo – Spanish Bread and Garlic Soup

As a very, very small percentage of you may know, tomorrow
is National Garlic Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a big bowl
of Spanish garlic soup? Sopa de Ajo is a wonderfully rustic bread soup, spiked
with sliced garlic, paprika, and ham.


If that wasn’t enough to get your attention, it’s also
topped with eggs poached in the fragrant, brick red broth. It’s like a steaming
bowl of breakfast-for-dinner. 

Like I say in the clip, there are as many ways to
make this as families in Spain, but I really think toasting the bread is key. You’re
basically replacing the flavorless water in the bread with olive oil and
awesome soup.


Plus, having the olive oil baked into the cubes makes for a
better texture in my opinion. Whether you make this tomorrow to
celebrate a totally made-up holiday, or wait until you have some stale bread
sitting around, I really hope you try this incredibly comforting Spanish soup.
Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 portions:
About 6 cups of cubed French or Italian bread
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle on
bread cubes
6-10 thinly sliced garlic cloves
2 oz ham diced
1-2 tsp paprika or to taste
6 cups chicken broth
4 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

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