Savory Bread Pudding With Swiss Chard And Red Pepper Recipes

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH SWISS CHARD AND RED PEPPER

Steps:

• Slice the bread about 3/4 inch thick. Cut 1 of the garlic cloves in half and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic. Mince all of the remaining garlic and set aside. Place the bread in a bowl and toss with 1 cup of the milk. Refrigerate for 1 hour, tossing every once in a while.
• Meanwhile, stem and wash the chard. Steam over 1 inch of boiling water until tender, about 2 minutes, or blanch in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or a 10-inch ceramic tart pan. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes, and add the red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, rosemary and chopped chard and stir together until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat.
• Remove the bowl with the soaked bread from the refrigerator. Using a wooden spoon, a whisk or an immersion blender, mash or beat the soaked bread so that the mixture turns to mush. Add the cooked vegetables to the bowl and mix together. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. Top with the grated cheese. Break the eggs into the bowl and beat with the remaining milk, salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon), and freshly ground pepper. Pour over the bread mixture and place in the oven.
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until the mixture is puffed, golden brown on the top and set. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes or longer before serving.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH KALE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring a medium or large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the kale. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but still colorful. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside.
• If using garlic, cut one of the garlic cloves in half and rub the slices of bread with the cut side. Then mince all of the garlic. Cut the bread into 1-inch squares.
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy, wide skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, and add the thyme, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for another minute or two, until the mushrooms are tender and fragrant. Stir in the kale, toss together and remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish, soufflé dish or gratin. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, the mushrooms and kale, and the two cheeses and toss together. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
• Beat together the eggs and milk. Add salt to taste and a few twists of the pepper mill, and pour over the bread mixture. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before baking so that the bread can absorb some of the liquid.
• Place in the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until puffed and browned. Remove from the oven and serve hot or warm.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart casserole dish with butter.
• Whisk the eggs, heavy cream, cognac and some salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place the bread slices into the egg-cream mixture and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Cut the mushrooms into large dice and add to food processor along with the shallots and process until finely, finely chopped. Put a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add 4 tablespoons of the butter. Once the pan is heated, add the mushroom/shallot mixture and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat under a medium cast-iron pan to medium-high and add the oil. Once heated, add the sliced spring onion and sear until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total.
• To assemble, first put a third of the bread in the prepared casserole dish, then half of the mushroom duxelles, half of the seared onion and another third of the bread. Press down and top with the remaining mushroom duxelles and onions. Top with the remaining bread and dot with the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Put into the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

SAVORY SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the greens to the pan and wilt. Season the greens with nutmeg and smoked sweet paprika or cumin, salt and pepper and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes then serve.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, Swiss cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese.
• In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add mushrooms, and saute until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet, and add the spinach and Swiss chard leaves. Saute until wilted, about 2 minutes, and transfer to the mixing bowl.
• Bring a small pan of water to a boil, and add the leeks and Swiss chard stems. Blanch for 1 minute, remove from heat and drain well. Add to bread mixture.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the inside of an 8-inch-square baking pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. In a medium bowl, beat egg just until blended.
• In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. While whisking vigorously, add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg, then return the egg mixture to the pan and whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to the baking pan, pressing gently on surface. Bake pudding until set, about 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven. Preheat a broiler with a rack about 6 inches from the heat. Unmold pudding onto a cookie sheet or other flat pan. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the pudding, and place under broiler until golden brown, about 20 seconds. Serve while hot.

SAVORY HERB BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC). Lightly grease a 10-inch (25 cm) square baking dish.
• Preheat a 6-quart (5.7 L) pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil with a pinch of salt until onion is lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the onion powder, sage, thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and several dashes of pepper and turn off the heat.
• Put the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked vegetable mixture and toss to thoroughly coat. Pour in the vegetable broth, ½ cup (120 ml) at a time, mixing well after each addition. The bread should be moist but not soggy, so you may not need to add all the broth.
• Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before serving.