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.

Sauteed Spinach with Whole Garlic and Raisins

I'm excited to be staying in tonight. You see, for the past two weeks we had been eating out every night. As much I enjoy the Minneapolis restaurant scene and eating out in general- especially now that it's almost summer and outdoor dining is the rave- the comfort of my apartment and my little kitchen is more appealing right now. On the menu tonight: sauteed spinach with whole garlic and raisins. Not very alluring, I know, but very simple and delicious. Just what I want after a slew of large and involved meals. 

Sauteed Spinach with Whole Garlic and Raisins

Serves two to three

5 cups fresh spinach, washed and drained 

6 garlic cloves

1/4 cup dark raisins

salt to taste

grated parmesan 

1. In a skillet set over medium high heat, add two tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the garlic and cook for three to four minutes, until they turn lightly brown.

2.  Add the raisins, cook for another minute or so until they plump up. Now,  add the spinach. Cook until they wilt, season with enough salt to taste, and serve with grated parmesan on top. 

Savory Spinach Strudel

Fusion cuisine has become tremendously popular over the last few years. It definitely is the craze here in Minneapolis. Restaurants like Azia, and Harry's boast menus that blend Asian, French, American, and even Hawaiian influences. Somehow, these chefs seem to achieve the right balance of flavors and textures to create distinctive dishes. Recently, I have begun dabbling in a little fusion myself. Greek and Indian. Essentially, I combined two signature dishes of these great culinary nations: spanakopita and samosas.

Spices, L-R: turmeric, mango powder, chili powder

Samosas are traditionally made with potatoes which I replaced here with butter beans. I found that beans added more flavor to this dish, not to mention the bonus nutritional content. Personally, the best part of creating this dish was being able to use this mix of spices, in particular turmeric. I used turmeric quite often in the Caribbean but seldom after I moved. Possibly due to the fact that while I was growing up I associated it with Indian-Caribbean culture, therefore I never ventured to use it outside of that cuisine. It also has a somewhat bitter flavor and distinctive odor which means that it does not blend well with most ingredients. However, with spinach and beans it works like an HDMI cord on a plasma TV. Ok, ridiculous analogy but it's all I can come up with at 11 pm. (We are shopping for a new home theatre system, so for the past month all the talk around here has been plasma this, surround sound that, 1080 p this, you get the picture.) What this means is that the turmeric enhances the spinach while adding that distinctive Indian flavor. Exactly what I wanted. I think this is just the beginning of my venture into the world of fusion cooking. Stayed tuned for more.

Savory Spinach Strudel 

Makes 3 twelve inch strudels

1 onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tbsp olive oil plus more for brushing phyllo sheets
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground mango powder (optional)
1 can white butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb fresh or frozen spinach
salt and pepper season
15 to 20 sheets phyllo dough, thawed*

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and cook onions and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add cumin, tumeric, ginger, chili, and mango powder. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons hot water to prevent sticking. Mix and cook for 2 more minutes or until water has evaporated and onions have softened further.
4. Add drained beans to onions, mix and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Using a hand held potato masher, mash beans and onion mixture thoroughly, making sure that no bean is left whole. Add spinach and mix well so that both beans and spinach are thoroughly incorporated. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. If using fresh spinach, cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Lay one phyllo sheet on a clean working surface and brush with olive oil. Place another sheet on top and brush that second sheet with more olive oil. Repeat until you have a stack of 5 to 6 sheets.
6. Spoon 1 cup of spinach mixture along the shorter end of the phyllo sheets, 2" from the edge. Place the 2" flap on top of spinach and roll up to form a log. Squeeze and tuck edges under. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining spinach mixture and phyllo sheets. Brush tops lightly with olive oil.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

* Frozen phyllo dough needs to be thawed for four to five hours before using.