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PORTUGUESE ACORDA A ALENTEJANA (SOUP)


Açorda, a beautifully, simple way to celebrate new harvest olive oil from Portugal. It's a traditional soup from Portugal's central region of Alentejo. Unlike most soups, it is not cooked, but rather merges individual flavours: garlic, salt, cilantro, olive oil, egg and bread. It's both nourishing and warming, especially for those chilly March days. 

INGREDIENTS: 
3 cups (loosely packed) fresh cilantro leaves with 1/2 cup extra, finely chopped, for garnish
4 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 cup ROBUST extra virgin olive oil
6 cups best chicken stock
1/2 loaf day-old/stale rustic bread, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 softly poached eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Boil stock in medium pan. In food processor, pulse 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, garlic, cilantro and 1 tsp salt, scraping sides until mixture forms a smooth paste. Add cilantro paste to stock, stir, then add more salt to taste. Poach eggs in stock until cooked but yolks are still runny. Or poach separately if cooking eggs to order. Place bread in soup bowls. Ladle broth on bread until almost covered. Top with poached eggs. Garnish with fresh cilantro, ground pepper, drizzle of fresh olive oil. Serve immediately. 

Optional: Top broth with extra toasted slices of country bread before placing poached eggs in soup. Ladle more broth over bread and eggs.

Inspired by justcookwithmichael.com