Savory Vegetable Bread Pudding

A good way to use leftover bread!

This posting came from another request from Jenny. This was my way of using up two leftover 1/2 loaves of baguette. I confess this is from memory; you are really going to have to use some creative juu-juu. The vegetable filling is pretty basic – you can replace it with anything. Greens and onions, asparagus and fresh peas with perhaps some dill, and of course eggplant, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, etc. are all tasty fillings.

You can also use different kinds of cheeses. Feta with greens or cheddar or gruyere with mushrooms would be good combos. I used parmesan here.

Ingredients:

A total of 1 baguette (I used ½ asiago cheese and ½ plain), sliced in rounds and lightly toasted

1 small onion, chopped

5-6 small zucchini, sliced into rounds

1 small red bell pepper, sliced (I think)

¾ cup finely chopped leek (green part)

olive oil

Salt & pepper

Dried thyme & oregano (you could use basil)

Kalamata olives, sliced (enough to scatter across the top)

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Large handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (enough to scatter across the top)

Fresh minced parsley

Fresh chopped chives

4 extra large eggs (I think…you can always use more if this isn’t enough!)

½ cup milk or soy milk

freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13x2 baking pan. Arrange half the baguette slices on the bottom of the baking pan.

Salt the zucchini rounds lightly and put them in a strainer for 10 minutes or so. In a bit of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat, sautée the onions with a bit of salt. When the onions begin to get soft, add the leeks and peppers. Pat the zucchini dry and add the zucchini to the skillet. Stir frequently. If the pan gets too dry you can add a bit of water or veggie stock. I believe I did add some stock and I covered the veggies with a lid to let them simmer for a bit. Gently sprinkle in some thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Cook until the zucchini is soft and slightly caramelized.

Spread the vegetable filling over the bread slices. Grate fresh parmesan cheese on top. Place the other half of the toasted baguette rounds on top of the filling.

Whisk together the eggs, milk or soymilk, salt, a bit of nutmeg, and black pepper. Pour this combination over the bread & filling mixture. It should be enough to immerse the top layer of bread in custard (and if it isn’t, please make more!) Sprinkle the olives, tomatoes, chives, and parsley across the top, then add some more grated parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes until the custard is set. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

This is great with a fresh green salad with sunflower sprouts and a light, lemony vinaigrette and fresh herbs.

Please tell us about your versions!

Note about parmesan: I prefer to buy parmesan in blocks and I have a small hand held grater that I use to grate it as needed over any dish. The chunk of parmesan keeps well in the fridge, and the fresh stuff does taste better than pre-grated – and certainly better than anything in a can. :-)

No-bake cheesecake

Super Spidey Cheesecake for Terence & Marilyn

Ha! I followed a recipe! Sort of. The inspiration for this was from Martha Stewart Living’s 2008 Halloween issue. But of course I made my edits to the recipe. This is my version. It has less sugar, different types of sweeteners, lighter cream cheese, and a few other added touches. Though the spider web is for Halloween, you can make any design with the chocolate ganache – hearts, stars, whatever. Best part of this recipe – no baking!

Marilyn is one of my favorite co-chefs. This was one of my contributions to our latest Halloween feast because Terence loves cheesecake (I think he puts it in a separate food group.) I’m posting this at Marilyn’s request!

You do need to make this at least a few hours before serving, better to make it the day before. Equipment needed: 10 inch springform pan, pastry bag, ¼ inch round tip, and electric mixer.

Ingredients:

Crust:

4 ½ cups finely ground chocolate wafer crumbs (I used Newman’s Own Chocolate Alphabet cookies and ground them in a food processor. Can be messy – I had a fine coating of chocolate cookie crumbs all over my kitchen. Part of playing.)

½ cup melted unsalted butter

additional butter for greasing the pan

¼ cup raw sugar

1 tsp coarse salt

Ganache:

¾ cup chocolate chips; I used a combination of semi-sweet and dark chocolate.

½ cup heavy cream

Filling:

16 oz. light cream cheese, softened

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 T vanilla

¼ cup maple syrup

¾ cup raw sugar

¼ tsp coarse salt

a few T of lemon juice (I didn’t measure, just gave a few squirts)

1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream

Grease the springform pan all the way up the sides.

Crust: Whisk all the dry ingredients together then add the melted butter. Stir the butter in completely, then immediately pat the crust into the pan, all the way up the sides.

Ganache: I did a no-no – I microwaved my chocolate and cream (gasp!). You can be responsible and use a double boiler if you want. If you use a microwave, start in 10 or 15 second increments. Between increments, take the bowl of chocolate & cream out and stir rapidly, the chocolate will melt as you combine it. It starts out as a bit of a liquid mess and turns into a wonderfully fluffy ganache. If you microwave it a bit longer it will be runny.

Either way, spoon or pour the ganache into the crust, reserving approx. 2 T for the top. I put a thin layer partway up the sides and across the bottom. Refrigerate the crust.

Filling: Beat the cream cheese in a mixer on medium speed. After a couple minutes I added the maple syrup and vanilla. After another minute or two, I stopped my mixer, added the sugar and salt and then started it up again on a medium-high speed until it was fluffy. I added the lemon juice at the very end.

In a separate bowl, mix the heavy cream on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Whisk in ¼ of the whipped cream into the cream cheese, and then fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Pour the filling into the crust and spread evenly. (Martha says to gently tap the bottom of pan on counter to release air bubbles – I didn’t do that part.)

Put the leftover ganache in the pastry bag fitted with the ¼ inch tip. For the spider web, pipe a spiral starting in the middle of the cheesecake. Then take a knife, and starting at the center point of the spiral, drag the knife to the edge of the cheesecake. Repeat every inch or two to form a spider web. You could make all kinds of other cool designs – definitely a playful part of this recipe!

Refrigerate for at least a few hours, I refrigerated it for 24 hours and the texture was wonderful. Before serving, I took a very thin knife and went around the edges of the pan to make sure the crust would come out smoothly. Remove the outer edge of the springform pan and serve! To make neat slices, wipe your knife blade after each cut (I kept a pitcher of warm water handy to dip my knife in before wiping.)

My friend Maureen gave me a plastic spider which I washed and stuck in the middle of the cheesecake. Hee hee. Spooky delicious Halloween dessert!

Warning: Can be addictive.

Warm & Creamy Butternut Squash with Pasta

Warm & Creamy Butternut Squash with Pasta

I made this last night and it was sooo good I had to share it with you. If you like butternut squash and want to make a truly fall dish, please try this one. I found the squash, onion, sage, marjoram, and walnuts at the farmer’s market last Sunday and that’s what inspired this dish.

This makes three hearty bowls of pasta. Ok, four if you're not a piggy. :)

Ingredients:

½ medium butternut squash, roasted till soft

¾ cup fresh walnut pieces

1 red onion, cut into quarters then thinly sliced

Butter

6-7 fresh sage leaves, chopped

5 sprigs of fresh marjoram, finely minced

paprika

black pepper

salt

nutmeg

1/4 to ½ cup of cream, milk, or soy milk

veggie bouillion

Parmesan cheese

Pasta: I used potato/rice/soy elbows. Another whole grain flavorful pasta like fusilli or shells would work as well.

Scoop out the filling from the butternut squash, discarding the seeds. Set aside. Toast the walnut pieces over medium heat in a large dry skillet until they are a warm and crispy and are lightly popping in the skillet. Put them into a separate bowl and set aside.

Put 1 T or so of butter into the hot skillet. When the butter has melted, add the onions with a bit of salt. Stir frequently. When the onions have wilted and are releasing their juices, add the sage.

Meanwhile, start the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Follow the directions on the package to cook the pasta.

When the onions begin to get a bit dry, add just a bit of paprika, marjoram, and black pepper. Stir, then add in a ladle full or two of the hot pasta water. I added ¼ of a Rapunzel veggie bouillion cube at this point (enough for a ½ cup of broth). Put a lid on the onions and let them simmer. Stir occasionally and add more pasta water as needed. The onions should become saucy and soft while still retaining some texture.

Add the scooped out butternut squash, some freshly grated nutmeg (just a bit – nutmeg is strong), and enough milk or cream to make the dish creamy. It should be slightly chunky but with a creamy consistency that can stir easily into the pasta.

To serve, place the pasta in the bowls, the butternut squash on top, and stir together. It will be orange and creamy! Garnish with crunchy toasted walnuts and tangy & salty freshly grated parmesan cheese.

YUM. Wish you were here to eat this with me! :-)

Chipotle Seitan Stew

Ok, Jenny. The first recipe posting is for you.

Chipotle Seitan Stew for Jenny

This dish is so easy. Fast, healthy, yummy, all those things rushing (or very hungry) people need. If you need your MEAT, then by all means replace the seitan with something else. Just don’t ask me how or what because I haven’t done it. :-) If you can’t do wheat gluten or meat, you could do tofu – but I recommend either cooking the dish longer so the tofu absorbs the flavors completely or using a pre-marinated tofu.

Concept we’re going for: Warm, chewy chunks of seitan, bit of spicy and peppery bite, fresh and sweetly sour contributions from tomatoes, and the sweetness of sautéed onions and yellow bell peppers, depth from the other herbs and spices.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped

½ yellow bell pepper, sliced into small thin strips

one package of pre-cooked, marinated Westsoy Seitan (8 oz), sliced

1 large heirloom or other fresh sweet tomato (or 2 small-medium tomatoes), chopped

herbs and spices: ground cumin, paprika, chipotle, thyme, oregano

salt and black pepper to taste

I sautéed the onion and a pinch of salt in olive oil on medium heat until the onions began to soften. I added the yellow bell pepper, sautéed for just a couple minutes, and added the sliced seitan with the juice from the package. I let this simmer for a few minutes. Then I added a bit of cumin (maybe ½ tsp?), perhaps a teaspoon each of paprika, thyme, and oregano, a bit of freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of chipotle (if you like super spicy add more). I let the spices begin to release their aroma and coat all the veggies and seitan. When the bottom of the pan began to get dry, I added the tomatoes and a bit more salt, turned the heat down to medium low, and put a lid on it. The dish simmered at a lovely bubble and the tomatoes began to break down, creating a saucy stew. I probably simmered the dish for maybe 10 minutes and it was ready to go. Taste and see what you think it needs. May need more salt, may want some fresh herbs (cilantro or Italian parsley would work nicely).

I served this with a salad and black rice mushroom risotto (yup, that will have to be another posting – if I can remember how I made it.)

Note: if you don’t like spicy, you can replace the chipotle with smoked mild paprika to keep the smoky flavor.

Enjoy!

***

What is seitan? It’s vital wheat gluten, prepared in broth and spices to make a chewy, slightly spongy vegetarian protein source. Surprisingly tasty! One serving of the seitan used in this recipe has 18g of protein. Pretty cool, huh?

You can make your own seitan also; purchase a package of dry vital wheat gluten from your local health food store or Whole Foods and follow the directions on the package. You can add any spices or marinades you want, or make it into veggie sausage.

Welcome!

My friend Jenny was the final inspiration to do this blog. I made her lunch the other day and she sighed, looked at me, and asked “Are you ever going to write a cookbook? Is there any way I can get a recipe from you?”

My favorite recipes are the ones I create. When I follow a recipe from a book or magazine exactly it never works. I cook from instinct, smell, taste, color, texture. Each recipe is an original or modified from someone else’s original. If I can remember what it felt like to create a dish then I can repeat it. If I can’t – well then it was a one time experience. ;-)

Obviously it creates a problem when I pass on recipes. I do write things down occasionally – my husband harassed me for years before I got better about it (thanks, Mike). Inevitably it’s in some sort of Sonya-short-hand and almost all the measurements are an approximation. The exception is a product that already has a measurement on it, like a pound of pasta. Otherwise, I throw things in until it smells, looks, feels and tastes good.

Here’s the upside. If you dare to follow one of these recipes, you could see it as an adventure. The recipes are a creative starting point. It will be an opportunity for you to be present with your own senses, creativity, instinct. Will your dish taste like my version? Probably not. But it will be better in its own way because it will be a unique creation for you and whoever you are cooking for.

This blog is a way for me to share what I love -- food and cooking -- with the people I love. I hope the recipes inspire you to play. Please tell me how it goes – I’d love to hear about what you create!

Much love,

Sonya Amrita