Acorda a Alentejana- Garlic and Cilantro Bread Soup

This classic soup reflects how people of modest means and resources can create a dish so satisfying that it's served in fine restaurants throughout Portugal to this day. Basically, it started as a way to extend the life of day old bread. With the addition of olive oil, garlic, cilantro, chorizo, and topped by a runny poached egg, this thick soup takes on a life of its own.

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Course: Lunch, Soup

Cuisine: Portuguese

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Large pot or Dutch Oven

Ingredients

3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling to serve
4 oz Spanish dry-cured chorizo, quartered lengthwise then thinly sliced (Sub: Kielbasa)
1 large Yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves Garlic, crushed
⅛ tsp Red chile flakes
1 cup Cilantro, trimmed and minced. Save a few leaves for garnish
2 cups Chicken stock
8 cups Stale country white bread, cubed or torn
4 Eggs, poached or fried sunny-side up
Kosher salt & black pepper

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Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook until crispy, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop into a bowl.
Add onion, garlic and chili flakes to the same pot. Stir until cooked, about 3 minutes. Add ⅔ of the chopped cilantro and cook about 3 minutes more. The onions should be beginning to color.
Add stock to same pot and bring to a simmer. Stir in bread and cook. Add ½ cup of water at a time, if needed to keep bread moist. After about 30 minutes, soup will look like a porridge. Stir in remaining cilantro and season to taste.
Ladle bread soup into bowls and top with poached or fried egg, cilantro leaves, and crisped chorizo. Drizzle a little olive oil over each and serve.

Notes

Portuguese chorico or linguica can replace Spanish chorizo.
Cilantro can be replaced by flat-leaf parsley.
Poached or fried eggs may be omitted, but the egg yolk running into the soaked bread is delicious..
A crusty bread like a baguette or country bread can be used. It is essential it be a least a day old.
Toasted bread can be used in a pinch.

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