Bread Soup
From the kitchen of Matt White
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups fresh or canned chicken stock
- 4 cups fresh or canned beef stock
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- * ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ pound crusty French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, dried overnight on a sheet pan
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnishes:
Grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley
DIRECTIONS
- Heat the chicken stock, beef stock and wine in a 4- to 6-quart pot.
- Heat a large frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic, onion and celery. Saute for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and saute 5 minutes more. Add to the pot of stock along with the bay leaf, red pepper flakes, basil and parsley.
- Cover and simmer 1 hour.
- Heat the frying pan again and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add the dried bread cubes and toast them until light golden brown. Do not burn. Add to the pot.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for 15 minutes and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.