Açorda Alentejana
A satisfying Portuguese side built around stale rustic bread and fresh cilantro — roughly 55 minutes start to finish, and rated easy to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 5 steps.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan. At easy difficulty across 5 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: not verified. We could not confirm stock from the ingredient list, so we make no dietary claim for this recipe.
Contains: Gluten Egg
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Pound the garlic with the coarse salt and most of the cilantro leaves into a rough green paste using a mortar and pestle, then work in the olive oil until the paste loosens.
- Smear this paste across the bottom of a large warmed bowl or tureen and tear the stale bread into chunks on top of it.
- Bring the water or stock to a rolling boil with the splash of vinegar, then poach the eggs one at a time for about 3 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, lifting each out with a slotted spoon.
- Pour the still-boiling liquid over the bread and garlic paste and stir well so the bread softens and soaks up the broth into a thick, sloppy porridge, then adjust the salt and pepper.
- Slide the poached eggs back on top, scatter over the reserved cilantro, drizzle with a little more olive oil, and serve straight away before the bread turns to mush.
You'll use: Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
- White Wine
- chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar
What to serve with Açorda Alentejana
Tips & common questions
How long does Açorda Alentejana take to make?
About 55 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 5 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of eggs?
Try ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Açorda Alentejana suitable for my diet?
We make no dietary claim for this recipe: at least one ingredient could not be resolved to a definite plant or animal source, so labelling it either way would be a guess. The full ingredient list is above.
Related recipes
Original recipe — developed in-house by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Açorda Alentejana is an original Portuguese recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Açorda à Alentejana.jpg by Filipe Fortes, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.