When a bread has truly staled, it is finally perfect for a dish based on breadcrumbs. Especially since flavoursome breadcrumbs are the best ingredient for meatballs, meatloaf, stuffings, coated meats and cheeses, pasta dishes, Christmas Pudding, Queen of Puddings…
Google breadcrumb recipes and USE GREAT BREAD.
NOTE: A sourdough is fully fermented so can take a good week to stale, even in Auckland’s humid climate; the richer breads like brioche and challah will stale faster. A stale bread is a stale bread, though; turn it into crumbs and enjoy!
Try Roast Chicken with Migas à Alentejana:
Heat a good splash of olive oil (20ml) in a frying pan over medium heat, add 150g chopped chorizo and 2 onions, finely chopped. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add 1tsp chilli paste (recipe next) and 300g pork loin or fillet, cut into 1cm cubes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add 150g torn old bread, drizzle with 2 Tbsp tawny port and 2 Tbsp water and cook, tossing, until bread is golden. Stir in 2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped), 75g green olives (pitted and finely chopped) and 2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley. Serve with roast spatchcock (or chicken), fried potatoes and green beans. Winner.
Chilli paste: process 12 cloves garlic, 8 bay leaves (centre vein cut out, torn), 1.25 Tbsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika, 2 bird’s-eye chillies (finely chopped) and 2 tsp salt in a food processor until a paste forms, then add 80ml (1/3 cup) olive oil and vinegar.
(recipe taken from the ‘Portugal’ section of Vogue’s Food From Our Travels: A collection of recipes from across the globe. p61. News Magazines PTY Ltd, Alexandria NSW 2010)
OR
Pasta with Ricotta White Sauce and Garlic Breadcrumbs
Pasta with Ricotta White Sauce and Garlic Breadcrumbs. Photo and food styling: Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson
Using “pasta of your choice with ricotta and milk, plus a topping of bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, butter, and Parmigiano” (or another hard cheese), this is a crazy fast go-to use of good breadcrumbs.
Note that the spread below is based on a Food52 recipe, with spinach replacing parsley. You do you!
OR
Here’s another suggestion: Tadka Mac ‘ n’ Cheese with Cajun Bread Crumbs (from Priyanka Naik’s The Modern Tiffin). We’ll post on that soon….