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. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
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 vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related 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.