Spinach, Mushroom & Cheese Strata - a savory bread pudding recipe

When this strata came out of the oven this morning, I knew that it would be the basis of my next blog post.  I like to think of a strata as a savory bread pudding. Unlike the sweet versions, this one is full of wholesome vegetables and, due to the addition of thyme and nutmeg, it makes the kitchen smell a little bit like Thanksgiving. The other good thing about a savory bread pudding is that, even though it lends itself easily to breakfast, it can make a quick weeknight dinner. 

Spinach, Mushroom & Cheese Strata

Serves 4 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 sprigs of thyme

8 to 10 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

10 oz fresh or frozen spinach (if using frozen, make sure to squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can)

6 cups cubed bread

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/2 cup grated cheese

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease and set aside an 8"x10" baking dish.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the thyme and mushrooms. Cook, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms have browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the spinach. Making use of the residual heat, toss the spinach with the warm mushrooms until it has wilted a bit.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add the bread, green onions, cilantro, cheese and the mushroom mixture.

4. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over the bread mixture and toss well. Pour the pudding mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake at 350 °F for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve warm.

Chinese Bean Soup (with Sichuan Peppercorns)

My knowledge of authentic Chinese cuisine is limited but that does not prevent me from experimenting with various Chinese ingredients. One of my favorites is sichuan peppercorns. I still remember my first sichuan meal: more spicy than I had expected but what a meal! Spicy beef short ribs, chicken with green beans, and bean sprouts in a spicy broth. Since that delightful induction, sichuan cuisine is now high up on my list of ethnic indulgences.

The two main elements of sichuan cuisine are chili peppers and peppercorns. Despite its name, the sichuan peppercorn itself is not spicy but imparts a tingling, numbing sensation on the lips and tongue. With quite a unique aroma and taste, these tiny pods have an overtone I can only describe as similar to the aroma of lime leaves.

If used in excess, the taste can be overpowering, especially in a mild bean soup such as this. When I first made this recipe, I added a teaspoon to the beans while they softened and a teaspoon to the mushrooms. Instead of a bean soup, it tuned out to be a peppercorn soup, with a taste that was almost medicinal. Ultimately, a single teaspoon was just enough to impart the desired level of sichuan flavor .





Chinese Bean Soup

Serves two to three

1/2 cup black eyed beans
1/2 pint cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp black szechuan peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp chilli oil
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 egg

1 green chili, chopped (more or less; optional)

1. Wash and boil black eyed beans in two cups of water until fork tender. I prefer using the pressure cooker for this as it softens the peas in about 10 minutes, as opposed to traditional boiling which can take up to half an hour. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a stock or other deep pot over medium heat. Toss mushrooms with garlic and oil. Saute with peppercorns for five minutes. Stir in vegetable broth and cooked beans. Cover, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Whisk egg separately, pour into soup, quickly stir to distribute and remove soup from heat.

4. Serve immediately with small pieces of chopped fresh green chilli.

Roasted Mushrooms with Shallot Chilli Oil

Clockwise from right: shiitaki, enoki, button, and oyster mushrooms

It all started a month ago. We had just sat down at one of our favorite (athentic) chinese restaurants and was in the middle of giving our order to the waitress. Hot and sour szechuan soup, ma po tofu, pea-tips in garlic sauce. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said to me in a hushed voice, "the pea-tips are not great today, wait until September when they are good and mature." Disappointment. Disappointed because those soft, leafy greens were the reason I cajoled my fiance to make the twenty minute trip to Richfield. 

On the drive home, we decided that in a month we would make a trip to the asian supermarket for some of those mature pea-tips. Taking the waitress' words to heart, last Sunday was the day we designated for the asian market. All month I had been looking forward to this day, which turned out to be a bleak and raining day. I was not fazed; that evening we were going to dine on crisp pea tips sauted with garlic and drizzled with a little  olive oil. 

So you can only imagine my disappointment at the sparse vegetable selection that awaited us. (Sparse is putting it subtly.) The vegetable shelves were practically bare, the pea-tips leaving much to be desired. It took me a few moments to contain my disappointment and make the most of the circumstances. We were already there, why not take this opportunity to stock up on some other asian ingredients such as sauces and our favorite roasted, brown rice tea. We eventually left with bottles of ponzu, various teas and  an assortment of mushrooms, the one vegetable that was fresh and plentiful that day.  

Roasted mushroom medley

6 oz enoki mushrooms

6 oz shiitake mushrooms

6 oz oyster mushrooms 

6 oz button mushrooms, slices

1/4 cup ponzu

2 - 3 tbsp chilli oil (depending on desired level of heat)

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1. With a damp paper towel or tea cloth, clean mushrooms lightly to remove any dirt. 

2. Toss with ponzu. Evenly spread the mushrooms onto a baking sheet and broil in the middle of the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

3. Meanwhile in a hot skillet over medium heat, (it is important to heat the skillet before adding the oil) add the chilli oil and shallots. Cook shallots for 1 minute, without stirring, just long enough to infuse the oil with its flavor. 

4. Pour hot oil and shallots over mushroom. Serve immediately.