Tomato açorda

There's no direct translation for this Portuguese dish - Açorda - but I can assure you that it's very much worth trying! Essentially, all you need is bread, onion, tomato and some herbs and spices, so there's really no excuse for you not to try this humble recipe. You'll be amazed at how simple and versatile Açorda is!

Ingredients:

250 gr (8.82 oz) of rustic bread with 2 days

1 large, ripe and juicy tomato (approx. 250 gr/8.82 oz)

1 large onion

1 large garlic clove

2 Tbsp of olive oil

1 Tbsp of tomato pulp

1/2 tsp of yellow sugar

1 Tbsp of crushed flaxseed

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tsp of dried oregano

1 tsp of dried coriander

1 tsp of sweet pepper

6 Tbsp of water from soaking the bread

Instructions:

- Crudely cut the bread into small pieces and put them in a large bowl. Then cover the pieces of bread well with water at room temperature. Reserve for 10 minutes. Afterwards, drain the water very well, reserving some for the açorda. (Tip: You can leave the bread in the strainer for a while so that as much water as possible is drained.)

- Wash the tomato well and place it in a small bowl. Cover it with boiling water. Wait 3 minutes and then waste the water. Let the tomato cool a little before removing the skin. Cut the peeled tomato into small pieces. Reserve.

- Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel the garlic clove, remove and waste the germ and chop the garlic.

- In a pan, place the olive oil, the onion and the garlic. Sauté the onion and the garlic over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes, the tomato pulp and the sugar and cook for another 3 minutes.

- Add the soaked bread and the flaxseed to the pan. Season with salt, black pepper, oregano, coriander and sweet pepper. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If necessary, gradually add about 6 Tbsp of water from soaking the bread, so that the açorda is moist. Turn off the fire.

Tip: Açorda is delicious eaten both hot or cold. It goes very well with a salad or smoked tofu.

Enjoy! :)