Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2 tablespoons butter, bacon fat, olive, vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 cup of chopped Vidalia or yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
  • 1 pound of tomatoes, skinned, chopped, juices retained
  • 1 tablespoon of light brown or granulated sugar, or to taste, optional
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 5 turns of the pepper grinder
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs (basil, flat leaf parsley, etc.), optional
  • 3 slices of toasted white bread, cut into 1-inch squares
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, optional
  • Extra butter, for garnish, optional

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Heat the fat in a large skillet and sauté the onion until tender but not browned.
  • Add butter and melt; stir in the flour, cooking and stirring for about 3 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes and sugar and low simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
  • Add the bread cubes, season with salt, pepper and herbs; taste and adjust as needed.
  • Transfer to a buttered baking dish, top with about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour.
  • Top individual servings with a pat of butter and serve immediately, alone as a vegetable side dish or served over rice or mashed potatoes. Goes wonderfully with fried fish and mashed potatoes.