Forget the Birds: Awesome Recipes 4 Stale Bread

From Denny: Chef Jose Andres of a restaurant in Washington, D.C., shares with us some great ideas of what to do with leftover stale bread. Many times my husband has come home with his latest "grocery prize" of day or two old artisan bread for a great price - only to discover it's so tough it can't be sliced easily. Grating it into fresh bread crumbs is an easy solution. If you are patient you can close it up into a plastic storage bag and place it in the fridge, take it out the next day and see if the crust has softened enough to slice. Usually, it does and all is well at our house once again. :)

Chef Jose Andres offers up some favorite recipes for stale day old bread from his native Spain like Castilian Garlic Soup, a mushroom and ham saute and a dessert by the name of Apple Charlotte. Yum! Since my great-grandmother came from "southern" Spain and was a wonderful cook I just had to see what she might have cooked in her day when she lived in Spain. Check it out what you can do with stale bread for delicious, easy and inexpensive recipes:


Castilian Garlic Soup
Bread with oyster mushrooms and Spanish ham
Jaleo's Apple Charlotte

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Sopa de ajo (Castilian garlic soup)

From: Chef Jose Andres

4 servings

Chef Andres: Wherever I go in my travels, I find Spanish people who are proud they know how to make this traditional Castilian dish, no matter which region they come from. My good friend Magin Revillo, the Washington correspondent for Radio Nacional de España (Spanish national radio), makes one of the finest garlic soups I ever tasted — even though he grew up in Barcelona.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 3 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1/2 tablespoon pimentón (Spanish sweet paprika)
• 6 ounces rustic white bread, crust removed, torn into small pieces
• 1 quart chicken stock (see page 000)
• 2 large eggs
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat parsley

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the white wine and continue cooking until the alcohol evaporates, about 30 seconds. Add the pimentón and sauté for 1 minute.

Add the bread and pour in the stock. Stir together and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the eggs and stir with a spatula to fold them into the soup. The eggs will form long strands, almost like noodles. Simmer for 2 more minutes and add salt to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
TIPS

You can make this soup with water if you like. It's the traditional way but I find that chicken stock makes for a richer and tastier soup. Instead of adding the whisked eggs, you can poach a whole egg per person: just break the eggs into a barely simmering soup and leave them for 2 or 3 minutes without disturbing.








Bread with oyster mushrooms and Spanish ham

From: Chef Jose Andres

4 servings

Chef Andres: There are many different versions of migas, a dish that has sustained many a Spanish family when food was scarce. I often talk about recipes made of humble ingredients that can feed an entire family, and this is a perfect example. It shows what can be done when leftovers are the only option. Over the years many of these survival dishes have become beloved delicacies. I love this one for its simplicity and intense flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium banana pepper
• 4 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 2 cups oyster mushrooms or saffron milk cap mushrooms (available in autumn)
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 ounce thinly sliced jamón serrano
• 1/4 cup seedless red grapes, halved
• 1 12-inch day-old baguette, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• Sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the broiler. Roast the pepper under the broiler, turning it as it browns. Transfer the pepper to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and steam for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the pepper, discard the skin and remove the seeds. Slice the pepper into ½-inch strips and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and the thyme and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the jamón and peppers and cook for 1 minute. Lay the bread slices on top of the mixture and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Stir the bread into the mixture and fry in the pan until it gets brown and slightly crunchy. Toss in the grapes and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt.

Use day-old bread for this dish. You will get a better crunch.








Jaleo's Apple Charlotte

From: Chef Jose Andres

Makes 12

INGREDIENTS

• 7 apples (Fuji or another good baking apple), peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of Rhum
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 beaten egg yolks
• For the crust
• Butter
• Half a loaf of brioche bread, cut half into 1/4" cubes and the rest into slices as 1/4" thick


DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples with sugar until soft. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer until apples are soft saucy consistency. Add butter, rum and vanilla. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and cool. Once cool, mix in the beaten egg yolks. Reserve

Clarify the butter. Toast the bread cubes in the clarified until golden and crisp. Reserve.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In each ramekin, place crisped squares on the bottom. Dip the brioche slices in the clarified butter and line the sides of the ramekins. Fill with the apple mixture. Place the ramekins in a baking pan. Fill the pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the ramekins. Bake for 35 minutes turning the pan once during baking to ensure even browning.





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Thanksgiving Leftovers Ideas: 3 Entrees, 1 Dessert, Recipes

From Denny: Any time you serve a holiday meal there are bound to be leftovers. The first day after people don't mind the exact same meal reheated but after that it's time to put on our thinking hats and come up with something creative. With the price of food these days we can no longer afford to throw out leftovers. The Scottos are a creative restaurant family in New York City to our rescue.

The turkey croquettes are an interesting and sweet way to use up those sweet potato casserole leftovers even the kids will eat! Do you have some leftover stuffing, vegetables and mashed potatoes? Then make Sheperd's Pie casserole with a little cheese thrown in to make it different.

Do you have leftover sauteed vegetables that are still a bit crunchy? Add them to pasta with your favorite cheese. They use goat cheese here; we like Asiago or Romano in our house. I do a version of this recipe all the time when I have leftover vegetables, sometimes using gravy in the sauce too.

What I really enjoyed here was a new way to use up my cranberry chutney recipe by folding it into bread pudding! Can't wait to try that one even without the additional apples. You could probably do this with almost any leftover fruit as many people do a stewed fruit dish during holiday season.

Recipes Featured:

* Turkey sweet potato croquettes
* Italian shepherd’s pie
* Thanksgiving vegetable fettuccine
* Apple cranberry bread pudding

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Turkey sweet potato croquettes

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cooked turkey meat, diced
• 1 cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 cups olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, add turkey, sweet potatoes, salt and pepper, 1 beaten egg, mix thoroughly and form into oblong croquettes.

2. In a second bowl add the flour, and in a third bowl the beaten eggs, and finally in a fourth bowl add the bread crumbs.

3. Dip croquettes into flour, beaten egg mixture, then the bread crumbs, and set aside.

4. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat and fry croquettes, turning occasionally until golden brown. Serve immediately.

5. Heat leftover turkey gravy and serve with the croquettes.



Italian shepherd’s pie

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups leftover sausage rice and mozzarella stuffing
• 2 cups any leftover vegetables, diced
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 cups leftover white mashed potatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine stuffing and vegetables and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

2. In a large bowl, combine parmesan cheese, melted butter and bread crumbs, mix thoroughly and set aside.

3. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer the bottom of the dish with mashed potatoes, then add a layer of the vegetable rice mixture, then finally add a layer of mashed potatoes and top with cheese crumb mixture.

4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until crumb topping is golden brown and bubbling.

TIPS

Note: If there is leftover turkey, it can be added to the rice stuffing.



Thanksgiving vegetable fettuccine

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound fettuccine, cooked according to package directions
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely diced garlic
• 1 cup cooked mushrooms
• 1 cup cooked string beans
• 1 cup cooked carrots
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, sauté garlic over medium to high heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Add mushrooms, string beans and carrots and quickly sauté for about 1 minute.

2. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook fettuccine, drain and add to sauté pan containing the vegetables, add butter, toss, plate and top with goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.



Apple cranberry bread pudding

From: The Scottos

Serves: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

Apple cranberry mixture

• 6 whole Granny Smith, Gala or Rome apples, peeled and cores removed,
• cut into 1/4-ince slices
• 1 stick butter, and 1/4 to grease baking dish
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup leftover cranberry sauce

Bread pudding

• Apple cranberry mixture
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups 1/2-inch cubes egg bread or brioche

DIRECTIONS

Apple cranberry mixture

1. In a small sauté pan, melt the butter, add apples and sauté until apples are soft, about 5 to 8 minutes.

2. In a bowl, add the cooked apples, vanilla extract, cinnamon, maple syrup, and cranberry sauté; toss and set aside.

Bread pudding

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Whisk half and half, light brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in apple cranberry mixture then finally fold in bread cubes. Mix thoroughly until it’s completed blended.

2. Add to 9 x 13-inch greased baking dish and bake for 40 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*** For more recipes, visit Comfort Food From Louisiana, Easy Party Foods: Short Ribs and Chicken Pot Pie, go here.


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