#CookAtSMU: Toasted Bread in a Savory Broth

Posted on September 19, 2014 Updated on September 19, 2014

And I’m back! Whew, the first weeks of school have flown by. I’m settling into my classes and my routine that I have to reinvent each semester. One thing that I have been enjoying is having all the Social Squad back in the office! Matt and I were on campus and working throughout the summer, but we sure missed Stephen and Christine. And, as an added bonus, we added another member to the Squad. If you haven’t checked out Connor’s inaugural blog post yet, you should check it out ASAP!

One of the perks of having everyone back in the office is that my #CooKAtSMU videos are getting better. With Christine behind the camera and the editing process, you can expect bigger and better things from #CookAtSMU! Which brings me to the actual point of this blog post (what can I say, I wouldn’t be an English major if I didn’t go on and on, right?). We are continuing our countdown to #SMUGala by cooking Lidia Bastianich‘s amazing recipes (for a full explanation of this series, check out my introductory post).

This week we’re cooking up a warm and tasty Toasted Bread in a Savory broth.This recipe comes from Lidia’s Italian Table, which had some of my favorite recipes. This recipe is actually two recipes combined. The first recipe is for Baked Cheese Toasts (the “toasted bread” part of the recipe) and the broth that goes with it (the “savory broth”). Both recipes would be good by themselves, so feel free to split them up when you make it! Also, in the book, Lidia has several variations for the broth. One of the variations is a spinach broth and the recipe can be found on her website, if you want to try something a little different!

So, with no further ado, here is the recipe for a simplest zuppa (Italian for soup) recipe, perfect for the cold weather we’re heading into.

To make 6 servings, you’ll need:

• 6 thick slices of day-old Italian bread
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 6 cups chicken stock, meat stock, or vegetable broth (I used vegetable broth, though Lidia recommends chicken as her #1 choice)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp. Italian parsley

What you’ll do:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Butter both sides of the bread the bread slices
3. Press one side of each into 1/2 c. of the cheese so the cheese coast the bread
4. Arrange the bread cheese side down in the skillet and toast the bread until the cheese is golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes.
5. Turn the slices and toast the other side until golden brown, about 3 minutes as well.
6. Place the toasted bread in the bottom on your soup bowl
7. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil on high heat.
8. Season with salt and pepper
9. Ladle the broth over the bread and sprinkle with parsley and cheese.
10. Enjoy!

Let me know how you like this recipe and if you try any of Lidia’s variations! Until next time, happy eating!