Tuesday, November 18
Ah the occasional challenges of cooking with a voracious eater in the house. So here's the story. I committed to making a Carrot Mushroom Loaf for potluck lunch at work on Wednesday. I knew that I would be going to book club on Tuesday evening. So, I started preparing the ingredients on Monday evening; thinking (incorrectly as it turned out) that this would give me a head start. I chopped and sauteed the onions, garlic, mushrooms and herbs. Then I prepared and added the bread crumbs to the mixture. I made a sweet potato, apple, corn, veggie burger casserole for dinner. It was OK but not worth posting. Arthur eyed the mushroom, bread crumb, onion mixture in the pan. I said no, that's the beginning of another dish that I'm taking to work.
I went to book club on Tuesday. It was a really fun meeting because every November we pick the books for next year. Each person proposes 2-3 books and describes them to the group. Then we vote for 10 of them. The books getting the most votes will be the books we read in 2009. We don't meet in December. I'll post the list of what we're reading soon.
I had shredded the carrots for the loaf before I left. I thought this will be quick to finish putting the loaf together and popping it into the oven when I get home. Then I'd make a cashew sauce to accompany the loaf. I got home to finish my project about 10:30 PM. I went to the frig to get out the original mixture. There appeared to be about 1/3 of what I put away the night before left in the dish.
OH NO, Arthur struck!!
I paged him at work.
Did you eat my bread crumbs?
Yes.
Why?
I was in a hurry and forgot you said not to eat it.
Do I give up or start again? I start again at almost 11:00 PM. Now I don't have many mushrooms left. Luckily, this is not the sort of dish that require accurate measurements. I'll post the original recipe which was first published in Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. These are not the measurements that I used. Who knows what I used.
Carrot Mushroom 'Loaf'
Its not really a loaf because you bake the mixture in a 9x13 pan and cut it into squares.
2 cups minced onions
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb or 1 1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dill
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs. carrots (about 6 cups)
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (hint: toast some whole wheat bread and chop into cubes)
black pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup packed cheddar, grated (or whatever kind of cheese you have)
Optional ingredients, 2-3 mini red peppers (I had some left from one of my CSA boxes) which you can saute with the onions
Extra bread crumbs, herbs or sesame seeds for toppings (if desired)
Lightly oil a 9x 13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, saute onions in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, herbs, garlic and continue to saute for 10 more minutes.
In a food processor, chop the bread for the bread crumbs. Put the crumbs in a large bowl. Without cleaning the food processor, shred the carrots. Food processors make quick work of this step! Add the carrots to the large bowl.
Use the food processor again to grate the cheese.
Combine the carrots, cheese and eggs. Add the sauteed mushroom mixture and mix well. Spread into the prepared pan and sprinkle with your choice of toppings if desired.
Cover pan with foil or lid. Bake for 45 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Serve hot or warm.
I brought it to work (where it was very well received) and served it with Ginger-Cashew Sauce.
Ginger-Cashew Sauce
1 cup raw cashews (4 oz.)
1 Tbs. dark sesame oil
3 scallions (white and light green parts), chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canned light coconut milk
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
In food processor, place cashews and pulse on and off until ground; set aside. In medium saucepan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add scallions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, 30 seconds. Stir in ground cashews, soy sauce, coconut milk and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, adding up to 1/3 cup water or broth if mixture seems too thick.
One of the other members of our lunch bunch brought in dish of mashed potatoes, smashed with their skins--delicious and perfect with the loaf and the sauce.
I went to book club on Tuesday. It was a really fun meeting because every November we pick the books for next year. Each person proposes 2-3 books and describes them to the group. Then we vote for 10 of them. The books getting the most votes will be the books we read in 2009. We don't meet in December. I'll post the list of what we're reading soon.
I had shredded the carrots for the loaf before I left. I thought this will be quick to finish putting the loaf together and popping it into the oven when I get home. Then I'd make a cashew sauce to accompany the loaf. I got home to finish my project about 10:30 PM. I went to the frig to get out the original mixture. There appeared to be about 1/3 of what I put away the night before left in the dish.
OH NO, Arthur struck!!
I paged him at work.
Did you eat my bread crumbs?
Yes.
Why?
I was in a hurry and forgot you said not to eat it.
Do I give up or start again? I start again at almost 11:00 PM. Now I don't have many mushrooms left. Luckily, this is not the sort of dish that require accurate measurements. I'll post the original recipe which was first published in Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. These are not the measurements that I used. Who knows what I used.
Carrot Mushroom 'Loaf'
Its not really a loaf because you bake the mixture in a 9x13 pan and cut it into squares.
2 cups minced onions
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb or 1 1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dill
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs. carrots (about 6 cups)
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (hint: toast some whole wheat bread and chop into cubes)
black pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup packed cheddar, grated (or whatever kind of cheese you have)
Optional ingredients, 2-3 mini red peppers (I had some left from one of my CSA boxes) which you can saute with the onions
Extra bread crumbs, herbs or sesame seeds for toppings (if desired)
Lightly oil a 9x 13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, saute onions in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, herbs, garlic and continue to saute for 10 more minutes.
In a food processor, chop the bread for the bread crumbs. Put the crumbs in a large bowl. Without cleaning the food processor, shred the carrots. Food processors make quick work of this step! Add the carrots to the large bowl.
Use the food processor again to grate the cheese.
Combine the carrots, cheese and eggs. Add the sauteed mushroom mixture and mix well. Spread into the prepared pan and sprinkle with your choice of toppings if desired.
Cover pan with foil or lid. Bake for 45 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Serve hot or warm.
I brought it to work (where it was very well received) and served it with Ginger-Cashew Sauce.
Ginger-Cashew Sauce
1 cup raw cashews (4 oz.)
1 Tbs. dark sesame oil
3 scallions (white and light green parts), chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canned light coconut milk
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
In food processor, place cashews and pulse on and off until ground; set aside. In medium saucepan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add scallions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, 30 seconds. Stir in ground cashews, soy sauce, coconut milk and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, adding up to 1/3 cup water or broth if mixture seems too thick.
One of the other members of our lunch bunch brought in dish of mashed potatoes, smashed with their skins--delicious and perfect with the loaf and the sauce.
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