Garlic Soup - using stale leftover bread

Anna told me today that her post-Thanksgiving challenge is to not let any leftovers go to waste. Here is a nice way to use leftover bread.

Andres made this soup for me for the first time one wintry day when Andrea was in town. I was starting to get a cold, but this soup boosted me up right away.

Garlic Soup

Stale bread (should add up to about 4 cups cubed; if less, scale recipe accordingly)
4-5 teaspoons olive oil
Beef broth
1 head garlic, peeled and cloves smashed, as though someone hit it with a hammer
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper

Place a few teaspoons of olive oil and 2 smashed garlic cloves in the bottom of your soup pot, and place over medium heat. While the oil is heating, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Fry the bread in the olive oil until it is evenly browned. Add enough chicken broth to create a soup of the desired consistency, adding more if needed as the bread soaks up broth. Add bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes or so.



This soup is slightly reminiscent of French onion soup, and I think it would be awesome to experiment adding onions -- if anyone tries it, let me know how you approached it!