Breadbox Bonus #3: Homemade Croutons!
Have you got some very naughty bread sitting around your house that didn’t live up to your expectations? Or do you just have a loaf that’s gone a bit stale and that you don’t want to waste, but you don’t really feel like eating in its present form, either? Then change it! Homemade croutons taste about a million times better than those ones you can buy in a box, even if you make them from non-homemade bread! They’re exceedingly simple to make, too; just cut the crust off your bread all around, cube it up into your desired size of cubes, and spray with a little bit of olive oil before arranging on your flat, ovenable pan of choice (could be a cookie sheet, could be a pizza pan…really, your choice). In your oven which you’ve preheated to 350F, stick your sheet of croutons for about 10 minutes. Check and rearrange your croutons as necessary; when they’ve reached your desired shade of golden-brown goodness and crunch, remove and cool your pan on a rack. Use to garnish soups, salads, or whatever you like. You could also easily season these by using some sort of infused olive oil to spray them with, or tossing them in a bowl with some minced garlic, or using some fresh or dried herbs…really, the possibilities are endless!
In the photo above, these were served as garnishes to some curried carrot soup. Here’s a recipe for that as well:
Curried Carrot Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small-medium sweet onion, diced fine
- 1 lb. carrots, chopped up; you could also use a 1 lb bag of baby carrots here if you like
- 1 c. chicken broth (veg broth would work here as well, or in a pinch, even just another cup of water, although the flavours won’t be as intense and you may want to up the carrot content if you use another cup of water)
- 1 c. water
- Salt and pepper, TT
- 1 tsp Madras curry powder, or similar curry powder of your preference. You can also use more if you like.
PREPARATION
Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, swirling to coat sides. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring all the time. Add chicken broth and water; also add carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, or until carrots are soft. If you have a stick blender, now’s the time to use it; if not, a food processor or food mill or normal blender will do the trick as well. This soup gets all its body from the ground-up carrots, you see; it looks like a cream soup, but it’s not. Add and adjust seasonings to your taste; serve hot, with plenty of good bread.
Breadbox Bonus #2: Tortilla Chips
Have you either made or bought too many delicious, fresh corn tortillas? Are you worried they’re going to go bad before you can use them all? Then change them! Who doesn’t like tortilla chips (barring allergies, of course)?
All you need is a big, flat pan, a little oil, and a little salt to shake over them after you’ve browned them up and stuck them on a paper towel to dry.
You could also try putting a little oil on a baking sheet and baking them in the oven at about 400F, which would do your whole batch at once—just make sure you keep an eye on them as they’ll toast up quite quickly this way.
While you’re making the chips, you could be whipping up some tasty salsa. Or guacamole. Or nothing at all, if you just like your corn and salt unsullied by other flavors. These should keep nicely in an airtight container for about a week, but I doubt they’ll last that long.
Breadbox Bonus #1: Wheat and Yogurt French Toast
INGREDIENTS
- 2 slices each of wheat and yogurt bread (or any bread that slices well; those are what I had, so those are what I used)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 c milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper TT
- A little butter for the pan
- Powdered sugar and maple syrup for serving
PREPARATION
In a flat container that’s wide enough to comfortably accommodate your sliced bread but not so shallow that putting liquid in it would be a bad idea, mix your egg, milk, salt and pepper thoroughly.
While you’re doing that, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter, swirling to coat the pan as it melts. Once you’ve finished assembling the egg mixture, dip your first piece of bread in. Flip, making sure to coat both sides. (You might want to watch this; if it’s a very absorbent bread, practically just showing it the egg mixture should be enough; any more than that and it will drink the whole thing and you’ll have to make more. Conversely, a more dense bread will drink less and will need more time in the egg mixture to soften.)
Once the butter is melted and looks slightly foamy in the pan and your bread is coated in egg mixture to your liking, place bread in pan. Check after a minute or two; if it’s not browned to your liking, allow to toast slightly longer. Flip and toast on the other side. Repeat for remaining pieces of toast.
When your stack of french toast is finished, cut diagonally, arrange on plates, and serve with powdered sugar and maple syrup.
Serves 2. This can easily be adjusted, figuring two slices of bread per person (or more, depending on your preference and whether or not you’re serving this with anything else).
Janaki
