Croutons are incredibly useful little things. They can shoosh up many a dish.

 

Try using the end of a loaf, or something that’s gone a bit stale to eat as bread to make some. You could freeze them, or the un-croutoned bread (my preference), so you can have some at a moments notice.

You can make a meal out of them in a Panzanella with some very ripe tomatoes, sprinkle them on an inexpensive soup to make it a little special, keep a few in a dish and nibble on them as a snack, sprinkle some on any salad as an additional layer of flavour/texture, use them as a savoury snack instead of crisps. Oh, and lots of other things too, make some and see what you can come up with!

What changes can I make to croutons?

Having made some recently, I think I will experiment with flavouring them.

• Some garlic paste
• or ginger and garlic paste,
• or some tandoori spice powder,
• or any of many other curry spice powders, perhaps with a teeny pinch of dried chilli, or a fine chopped fresh one.
• Or having had cinammon toast this morning, I think I’ll try cinammon, mixed spice or nutmeg, with a dusting of sugar.
• They would go well sprinkled on a breakfast of fuit and yogort don’t you think? Yum! I really fancy some of the tandoori spice and some mixed spice ones to snack on now instead of crisps (not that I eat crisps!)
• Oh yes, and what about herbs? Some fine chopped rosemary mixed into the oil before tossing, or sprigs of it to go all crispy in the oven.
• Or thyme, or sage.
• Not sure about basil, but worth a try.
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper,
• a teeny bit of anchovy paste,
• maybe a few drops of balsamic
• or lemon juice………

The basic recipe would be something like this

What Do I Need To Make Croutons

For a decent sized batch

• 250g stale bread, cut into rough cubes
• 40ml veg oil

How To Make Croutons

• Toss the bread with the oil and some salt and pepper
• blast in the oven until browning and crispy
• Or toast the croutons in a frying pan rather than using the oven

These feature in Meal Plan 1, Meal Plan 2, both complete 7 day plans for 2 adults. Contains 3 meals a day, plus snacks , all recipes and a shopping list

What Can I Use Croutons For

• Sprinkle a few in top of soup
• Use them to make a classic panzanella
• Adjust panzanella ingredients to suit the season
• Use them to make a wonderful snacky tea

 

Soufflé Croûton Slice

An Autumn Panzanella

 

Panzanella with lovely sun ripened tomatoes.

 

These feature in Meal Plan 1, a complete 7 day plan for 2 adults. Contains 3 meals a day, plus snacks , all recipes and a shopping list