Stale Bread
AKA The Perfect Soup
We are very fortunate to live within walking distance to one of the best bakeries in Los Angeles, Bub and Grandma’s. About twice a week, after walking the twins to school, I’ll walk over there for coffee and on most Friday’s Matt and I will stop by for a quick breakfast. I almost always buy a baguette to take home. Sometimes I have a plan for said baguette and other times it sits by the toaster, neglected. Stale bread, is of course great for making croutons, but it also makes a lovely, very filling soup! A soup that is perfect if one of your children is restricted to only eating soft foods after getting braces or having their wisdom teeth removed. This recipe is slightly modified from a NYT recipe, so I can’t take full credit for it’s invention. My guess is the NYT can’t take full credit either since it’s called Tuscan Bread and Tomato Soup. Regardless of the origin it’s currently a dinner staple for us!
TUSCAN BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP
3 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) whole peeled tomatoes
2 TBS tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of red chili flakes
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 cups water
3/4 stale baguette, diced
2 TBS fresh basil
2TSP balsamic vinegar (I added this)
Heat the onion in the olive oil. Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes with a stick blender or food processor. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and tomato paste to the onion. Cook for about two minutes and then add the pureed tomatoes with salt, pepper and sugar. Cook down for about 5 minutes and then add in diced baguette and water. Simmer the mixture while mashing the bread for about 10 minutes. (I remove a little bit of the soup mixture and puree it and add it back in to help smooth out the texture.) Finish the soup with a little bit of vinegar.
Slice the remainder of the baguette or use diced to make croutons. (Another one of my changes). I heat up about 1/4 inch of olive oil in my caste iron skillet and add the bread till it’s golden brown, flipping it so all sides have color. When I remove the croutons from the oil, I dust them with salt, onion powder, garlic powder and smoke paprika.
Server the soup with a drizzle of olive oil, basil, and a crouton!
MEALS OF THE WEEK
MONDAY/ Crabby patties made from hearts of palm and lentil salad
TUESDAY/ Trader Joes Tikka Masala with tofu, rice, and Naan
WEDNESDAY/ Mexican rice and pick your own taco/burrito/quesadilla
THURSDAY/ Park picnic with zucchini pasta salad
FRIDAY/ Pasta (I think? I forgot to write it down!)
SATURDAY/ Tuscan Bean and Tomato Soup with a side of kale and soysage
SUNDAY/ Bean night with roasted carrots and crispy corn tortillas