Savory Bread Pudding

A tasty one-dish meal from Guest Author, Heather Forsyth.

I love this recipe, or idea of a recipe really, because it's infinitely variable depending on what kind of bread, cheese or other ingredients you choose.  I was recently reminded that bread pudding is not just for dessert when reading Barbara Kingsolver's new book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  Her version calls for asparagus and wild mushrooms.  But this isn't a new idea --  years ago in Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Lappe Moore had the same idea of combining bread, milk and cheese proteins for a quick vegetarian meal.  Yet because you can make this dish your own, you can satisfy meat eaters at your table, too.  This is my current favorite version, with some variation ideas to get you started.

Savory Bread Pudding

• 6 c. bread, crust removed, cubed
  
• 1/2 pound fresh shitake mushrooms, quartered
  
• a small handful of fresh sage, divided
  
• 2 spring onions, chopped, white and greens
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 3 c. milk
  
• 2 c. provolone, diced
  
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
  
• salt & pepper to taste

Put half of the whole sage leaves into a small pot with the milk, bring to a simmer, then set aside.  Saute the mushrooms very briefly in a little butter or olive oil, stir in the spring onions for one minute, then remove from heat.  Layer the bread in the bottom of a buttered casserole dish, top with the mushroom/onion mixture.  Cut the other portion of your sage into ribbons and scatter over the bread and mushrooms.  Spread the provolone dice over all.  Beat the eggs, strain the milk and slowly add the milk to the eggs, beating well, then add the parmesan, salt and pepper.  Pour the custard over the bread mixture and let sit for at least 30 minutes, but you could do this in the morning before work and let it sit in the fridge all day.  When you're ready to bake, put the pudding into a 350 oven for about 40 minutes, depending on the size of your dish (see note below).  We like to serve this with a simple green salad and sauteed carrots.

A note about texture: you can vary it quite a bit by the size of the bread cube, the size of the dish, and the amount of time you leave it to "soak."  A smaller cube, a longer soak, and a deeper dish will make a pudding that is softer and more homogeneous; conversely, a bigger cube, a quick soak, and/or a more shallow baking pan will make a more stuffing like texture.  I usually bake mine in a ceramic dish that's about 4" high.  With a good soak, it ends up almost souffle like in texture.  Depending on the depth of your baking dish, you'll need to adjust the baking time from 30 minutes up to 50 -- it should be nice and brown, puffy, and just a little wiggly to touch.

Variations: Your imagination is as good as mine, but you can use leftover french bread, whole-grain, dill or olive loaf, or a combination of whatever is at hand.  I've made this with whole wheat bread, cheddar, fresh tomato and onion; green chilies and jack cheese; bacon, sausage or ham with swiss, etc. You'll want to use different herbs as well, depending on your other ingredients, but it is a dish that is much livelier with fresh herbs rather than dried.  Experiment, and let me know what you come up with!