Best Acorda A Alentejana Bread Thickened Garlic Coriander Soup Recipes

ACORDA ALENTEJANA (PORTUGUESE BREAD SOUP)

Acorda Alentejana (Portuguese Bread Soup) image

Acordas are a type of Portuguese traditional soup which are designed to make use of leftovers of the country's much cherished staple food, stale bread. The Moors, the medieval Arabs who occupied the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years, made copious and imaginative use of stale bread, employing it to thicken, enrich and bulk out everything they could think of. The best kind of bread is a thick crusty bread, like a country bread or peasant bread. Try and not use crustless or thinly crusted types of bread as they don't hold up well in the soup and typically turn to mush.

Provided by Member 610488

Categories Grains

Time 25m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1 lb sturdy rustic-style bread, stale if possible and torn into 1 to 2 nch chunks
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups water
4 eggs
4 tablespoons olive oil
black pepper, to taste

Steps:

If the bread isn't already stale, spread the chunks on a baking sheet and dry out in a 250 degree F oven for about an hour.
Process the garlic, cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a paste in a food processor (or use a mortar and pestle if you feel like a workout). Spoon into the bottom of a large, heatproof serving bowl or soup tureen.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Poach the eggs in it, one at a time, removing to a plate when the whites have set but the yolks are still runny.
Pour the still-boiling water (don't worry about any egg bits in it) over the garlic-cilantro paste in the bowl, stir to combine, and add the oil and more salt to taste.
Add the bread and let soak for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary, or more water if it seems too thick; there should be broth to slurp.
Top the soup with the poached eggs and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 498.7, Fat 22, SaturatedFat 4.2, Cholesterol 186, Sodium 956, Carbohydrate 59, Fiber 3, Sugar 5.2, Protein 15.3

ACORDA A ALENTEJANA (BREAD-THICKENED GARLIC-CORIANDER SOUP)

Acorda A Alentejana (Bread-Thickened Garlic-Coriander Soup) image

Provided by Jean Anderson

Categories dinner, soups and stews, appetizer

Time 10m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

3 cups (loosely packed) fresh coriander leaves
4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons robust olive oil
6 cups boiling water
1/2 pound day-old French or Italian bread, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 softly poached (2-minute) extra-large eggs

Steps:

With a large mortar and pestle, pound the coriander, garlic and salt to paste. Spread over the bottom of a shallow 3-quart terra cotta casserole and drizzle with olive oil.
Pour in the boiling water, add the bread and pepper, toss well and let stand 2 minutes. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
Slide the poached eggs on top and serve, making sure each person gets an egg.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 360, UnsaturatedFat 16 grams, Carbohydrate 30 grams, Fat 21 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 12 grams, SaturatedFat 4 grams, Sodium 1155 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram, TransFat 0 grams