If one is fortunate enough, leftovers are a fact of life. Some of those are fantastic all by themselves, such as leftover pizza for breakfast. Others need some help, the most common of which may be old or stale bread. Since one of the most common methods to "help" leftovers is a soup or stew, there's no wondering as to why just about any culture you may find has at least one (and usually many) that include or even feature stale bread.
What's your favorite?
My favorite of those bread soups is the Spanish "sopa de ajo." While that literally translates to "garlic soup," there is no doubt that bread is the backbone of this soup. I've seen all sorts of recipes for sopa de ajo, some getting mighty complex, but my favorite way to make it is very simply, including just things I usually have lying around, such as:
1. Old bread (usually about 4 cups of fairly finely chopped or crumbled)
2. Garlic (usually about half a head or more)
3. Extra virgin olive oil (enough--see below)
4. Egg (1 or 2)
5. Cheese (usually around 1/2 cup finely grated asiago, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or something similar, or some combination thereof)
6. Water (usually around 4-8 cups)
7. Salt (show restraint)
8. Spanish smoked paprika and other spices and herbs
9. A splash of vermouth (sweet or dry), if I'm feeling fancy, but I usually leave it out or only add as a garnish.
This really is a matter of making it your way, so take everything below with a grain of salt. Everything in this recipe is variable and adjustable. There are only a very few things that can go wrong. By far, the most important things are to avoid scorching the garlic or spices, or this stuff can pretty nasty in a hurry.
Bread - The bread is whatever you have on hand and that's getting old. I've used everything from old rolls to multigrain bread to rye bread to pita to cornbread. It doesn't matter, but you want to chop or crumble it relatively finely so that it falls apart and incorporates for the most part (assuming that's how you like it). Some smaller chunks can actually be pretty good.
Garlic - I like a lot of garlic. A lot. Half a head pretty much is my minimum, and I sometimes double that. Use as much as you like, but SLICE it. Don't mince it or run it through a press, or it's liable to burn. Don't just crush it, or it won't permeate the soup properly. I like to slice it fairly thinly, but I don't make a big deal out of it (unlike Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas).
EVOO - I've never measured it. I initially use enough to almost cover the garlic (so that it can slosh around a little) and often add more to make sure everything combines well. Add just what you think you need, or the soup gets greasy. A splash as a garnish, though, can work very well.
Egg - a traditional addition for flavor, thickness, and substance. I usually just add 1, since I also add the cheese, but add 2 or 3 or more as you like (but I don't like it too eggy). Beat it a bit before incorporating if you want a more uniform texture.
Cheese - this is not so traditional, but it's sooooo good. This soup really seems to miss something when I don't add the cheese. Asiago is the best (go figure), but this is a fun place to experiment. Finely grated is the easiest way to incorporate it.
Water - The amount totally depends on how what sort of bread you use, how old the bread is, how much of everything else you use, and how thick you like the soup. Add very little and enjoy something that's almost bread pudding or porridge, or thin it out as you like. I see many recipes that use chicken stock here, but that seems to muddle up the flavors. I stick with water.
Salt - A pinch at the beginning with the garlic, and then hold off until you're ready to serve it or put it away for later. The cheese can add a lot of salt, so I usually need only a very lit bit or none at all at the end.
Spices - Spanish smoked paprika is the traditional primary spice and for good reason. It's excellent! I add at least a few tablespoons. I usually also add another tablespoon of hot paprika, a tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper, a bit of turmeric, a teaspoon or 2 of ground cumin, about a tablespoon of oregano, a bay leaf, and a 4-6" sprig of rosemary.
Here's how I throw it together:
1. Add sliced garlic to your cold pot (a 4-qt saucepan works perfectly for me) and enough oil to just about cover it. Add a restrained pinch of salt, give it a stir, and start the burner at low or medium-low heat. (Now is a good time to chop your bread and get everything else together, if you haven't already).
2. When the garlic begins to sizzle, give it a stir and keep an eye on it. If you can't slosh the garlic around a bit, you probably need more oil. Keep giving it a stir or slosh every several seconds or so until it gets very fragrant and maybe a little nutty.
3. Increase the heat to medium-low (if not already there). Add the spices and stir to bloom them. Everything will thicken a lot with all that paprika.
4. Add the bread and stir a lot to make sure things don't stick too badly (they will stick). Just stir so that the spices cover the bread pretty much evenly. Add more oil if necessary. Don't try to toast the bread, or you will scorch the spices. Take the saucepan off the heat if you need to in order to avoid scorching.
5. Once everything is even, add enough water so that everything loosens up and you can scrape the bottom of the saucepan. (I usually add a couple of cups at first so that it is easy to stir and scrape with a bit of vigor and without making a mess. Then I add a couple more and stir).
6. Adjust burner to medium-high. The mixture will thicken as stands and heats (the bread will absorb the water). Add water 1/2-1 cup at a time and keep stirring it in. You can use a whisk to break up the bread, as well, but keep stirring to scrape the bottom of the pan as things can stick.
7. Once the soup just comes to a simmer, whisk in the egg thoroughly, and then whisk in whatever amount of cheese you wish. Stir frequently and scrape anything that sticks. The soup thickens a great deal after you add the egg and cheese. Whisk as much as you like
8. Add water until you get a consistency that is a bit looser than how you want it at the end. Bring it back up to a simmer and then lower the heat to very slow simmer for 10-15 minutes or until you are happy. Keep stirring fairly frequently. Keep in mind that this probably will continue to thicken, so add a little more water if you want.
9. When you are ready to dive in, check for seasoning and adjust as desired.
10. Serve up and garnish as desired. A splash of EVOO and a squeeze of lemon can be pretty yummy, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley or a small sprig of rosemary looks very nice.
What's your favorite?
My favorite of those bread soups is the Spanish "sopa de ajo." While that literally translates to "garlic soup," there is no doubt that bread is the backbone of this soup. I've seen all sorts of recipes for sopa de ajo, some getting mighty complex, but my favorite way to make it is very simply, including just things I usually have lying around, such as:
1. Old bread (usually about 4 cups of fairly finely chopped or crumbled)
2. Garlic (usually about half a head or more)
3. Extra virgin olive oil (enough--see below)
4. Egg (1 or 2)
5. Cheese (usually around 1/2 cup finely grated asiago, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or something similar, or some combination thereof)
6. Water (usually around 4-8 cups)
7. Salt (show restraint)
8. Spanish smoked paprika and other spices and herbs
9. A splash of vermouth (sweet or dry), if I'm feeling fancy, but I usually leave it out or only add as a garnish.
This really is a matter of making it your way, so take everything below with a grain of salt. Everything in this recipe is variable and adjustable. There are only a very few things that can go wrong. By far, the most important things are to avoid scorching the garlic or spices, or this stuff can pretty nasty in a hurry.
Bread - The bread is whatever you have on hand and that's getting old. I've used everything from old rolls to multigrain bread to rye bread to pita to cornbread. It doesn't matter, but you want to chop or crumble it relatively finely so that it falls apart and incorporates for the most part (assuming that's how you like it). Some smaller chunks can actually be pretty good.
Garlic - I like a lot of garlic. A lot. Half a head pretty much is my minimum, and I sometimes double that. Use as much as you like, but SLICE it. Don't mince it or run it through a press, or it's liable to burn. Don't just crush it, or it won't permeate the soup properly. I like to slice it fairly thinly, but I don't make a big deal out of it (unlike Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas).
EVOO - I've never measured it. I initially use enough to almost cover the garlic (so that it can slosh around a little) and often add more to make sure everything combines well. Add just what you think you need, or the soup gets greasy. A splash as a garnish, though, can work very well.
Egg - a traditional addition for flavor, thickness, and substance. I usually just add 1, since I also add the cheese, but add 2 or 3 or more as you like (but I don't like it too eggy). Beat it a bit before incorporating if you want a more uniform texture.
Cheese - this is not so traditional, but it's sooooo good. This soup really seems to miss something when I don't add the cheese. Asiago is the best (go figure), but this is a fun place to experiment. Finely grated is the easiest way to incorporate it.
Water - The amount totally depends on how what sort of bread you use, how old the bread is, how much of everything else you use, and how thick you like the soup. Add very little and enjoy something that's almost bread pudding or porridge, or thin it out as you like. I see many recipes that use chicken stock here, but that seems to muddle up the flavors. I stick with water.
Salt - A pinch at the beginning with the garlic, and then hold off until you're ready to serve it or put it away for later. The cheese can add a lot of salt, so I usually need only a very lit bit or none at all at the end.
Spices - Spanish smoked paprika is the traditional primary spice and for good reason. It's excellent! I add at least a few tablespoons. I usually also add another tablespoon of hot paprika, a tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper, a bit of turmeric, a teaspoon or 2 of ground cumin, about a tablespoon of oregano, a bay leaf, and a 4-6" sprig of rosemary.
Here's how I throw it together:
1. Add sliced garlic to your cold pot (a 4-qt saucepan works perfectly for me) and enough oil to just about cover it. Add a restrained pinch of salt, give it a stir, and start the burner at low or medium-low heat. (Now is a good time to chop your bread and get everything else together, if you haven't already).
2. When the garlic begins to sizzle, give it a stir and keep an eye on it. If you can't slosh the garlic around a bit, you probably need more oil. Keep giving it a stir or slosh every several seconds or so until it gets very fragrant and maybe a little nutty.
3. Increase the heat to medium-low (if not already there). Add the spices and stir to bloom them. Everything will thicken a lot with all that paprika.
4. Add the bread and stir a lot to make sure things don't stick too badly (they will stick). Just stir so that the spices cover the bread pretty much evenly. Add more oil if necessary. Don't try to toast the bread, or you will scorch the spices. Take the saucepan off the heat if you need to in order to avoid scorching.
5. Once everything is even, add enough water so that everything loosens up and you can scrape the bottom of the saucepan. (I usually add a couple of cups at first so that it is easy to stir and scrape with a bit of vigor and without making a mess. Then I add a couple more and stir).
6. Adjust burner to medium-high. The mixture will thicken as stands and heats (the bread will absorb the water). Add water 1/2-1 cup at a time and keep stirring it in. You can use a whisk to break up the bread, as well, but keep stirring to scrape the bottom of the pan as things can stick.
7. Once the soup just comes to a simmer, whisk in the egg thoroughly, and then whisk in whatever amount of cheese you wish. Stir frequently and scrape anything that sticks. The soup thickens a great deal after you add the egg and cheese. Whisk as much as you like
8. Add water until you get a consistency that is a bit looser than how you want it at the end. Bring it back up to a simmer and then lower the heat to very slow simmer for 10-15 minutes or until you are happy. Keep stirring fairly frequently. Keep in mind that this probably will continue to thicken, so add a little more water if you want.
9. When you are ready to dive in, check for seasoning and adjust as desired.
10. Serve up and garnish as desired. A splash of EVOO and a squeeze of lemon can be pretty yummy, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley or a small sprig of rosemary looks very nice.
