Portuguese Bread & Garlic Soup with Cilantro (Açorda à Alentejana)

serves 6–8

The recipe for this hearty, garlicky bread soup comes from Rosa Filipe of O Barro restaurant in Redondo, Portugal. According to Filipe, the soup is often nicknamed “beggar’s soup” because it contains no meat or fish.

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 cups roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems

  Saveur: The New Classics Cookbook The Editors of Saveur Magazin

• 7 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

• 1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• ½ cup olive oil

• ½ lb. Portuguese pão bread or 2 kaiser rolls, cut into 1″ cubes and toasted

• 8 cups chicken stock

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

INSTRUCTIONS 

1 Pulse cilantro, garlic, bell pepper, chile, salt, and pepper in a food processor until roughly chopped. Add oil and purée to a smooth paste. Put ½ cup of paste in a bowl. Add bread, toss to coat, and set aside.

2 Heat remaining paste in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Cook until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. While stirring constantly, slowly drizzle in eggs and cook until eggs are just set, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in bread mixture, and serve hot.

Reprinted from Saveur: The New Classics Cookbook (Expanded Edition): 1,100+ Recipes + Expert Advice, Tips, & Tales with permission from Insight Editions, 2021.

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