Dishes from my Other Blog - Foccacia 'Upma' (Day 180)

You say Panzanella, I say Upma...

Ever bought something from the grocery store and stashed it away in the refrigerator and almost forget about it? as in, by the time you remember about that loaf of bread you were looking forward to noshing on, Its gone semi stale. That happened to me this week. Brought home a foccacia bread (this particular loaf had a generous sprinkle of Za'atar) and spotted it 4 days later in the fridge, by which time it was rather dry. No worries, just sauteed an onion, added a tempering of cumin and a pinch of garam masala and Paprika.

You need:
1 loaf of stale Foccacia bread, diced.
1 large onion diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Paprika (or cayenne if you like the heat)
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Lemon wedges

Spritz the diced Foccacia with water to moisten it slightly. In a wok, heat the oil and add the cumin when the oil begins to shimmer. Once the cumin seeds 'split' add the onion and saute till translucent. Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, salt and the Paprika. Next dump in the moistened bread, stir to coat the pieces completely and cover, allowing the flavors to soak into the bread. (~ 5-7 minutes), remove the cover, increase the heat and allow the bread to crisp up at the bottom. (the crunch adds a nice textural component). Garnish with Cilantro and serve with the lemon wedges to be drizzled over prior to scarfing down warm.

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