Fresh Salads, Soups and Sauces

Notes: This recipe makes enough croutons to generously garnish about eight servings of soup. Croutons keep well for several days in an air-tight container, so the recipe can be easily multiplied. Cut the croutons into any size you would like, from tiny cubes for garnishing soups in cups to large cubes for soups served in a soup plates or for salads. Just don't make them any bigger than a soup spoon, and remember to adjust the baking time accordingly.

Ingredients

• 3 slices white bread
• 1 ½ Tbs California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil
• ¼  teaspoon salt, or to taste

• GARLIC CROUTONS :  Mince 1 clove garlic. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp kosher salt and mash to a paste with the side of a large knife. Add the garlic paste to the oil before tossing with bread cubes. Bake as directed.

• CHEESE CROUTONS :  After the bread cubes have been tossed with oil, toss them with ½ cup very finely grated Parmesan, Romano, or other hard grating cheese (a rotary cheese grater or a microplane grater will give you the finest texture and help the cheese adhere to the bread). Bake as directed.

• HERB CROUTONS :  Add 3 Tbs chopped fresh or dried herbs (such as oregano or rosemary) to the olive oil. Toss with the bread cubes. Bake as directed.

Directions

1. Remove the crust from the bread, if desired. Cut the bread into cubes. (If the bread is very fresh, dry the cubes in a 200 degrees F oven, 5 minutes.)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the bread, oil, and salt in a bowl.
3. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 8-10 minutes. Stir the croutons once or twice during baking so that they brown evenly.