Fresh From the Oven

Open your refrigerator. Go ahead, seriously. Now move aside the mayonnaise, the milk, the orange juice and anything else you bought in the last week and peer into the depths. Most of you probably do so with at least mild trepidation, if not outright terror. For some of you, Dirk Gently's lurking fridge might come to mind. Now I'm not suggesting you eat the potatoes that are not only eyeing you back but making threatening gestures as well. Nor am I saying you should cook with the green beans that are now blue with orange polka-dots and dancing the aforementioned polka. Rather, after you've thrown out all of the things that are funny colours, past their expirations, uncomfortably squishy, or trying to climb out of the bowl, you can probably find enough in the corners to make something like this:What is it? Bread pudding, though in this case made with stale cheddar cheese biscuits, baby potatoes, onion and carrots. And it is f***ing delicious! Bread pudding can be made either savory or sweet, and is really easy. All you really need is milk, eggs, and stale bread. The base is simple enough that you can do most anything with it, dependent on the type of bread. In this savory case, I added oregano, marjoram, paprika, sage, white pepper, and a little bit of tumeric (careful, it's strong stuff.) And a little cheese, which is almost never bad.

It comes out rich and warm - good winter food - and this one tasted a little like popovers, though with onion warmth and a little prickliness and tartness from the herbs. I ate some of it an hour ago, and I'm really looking forward to eating it for lunch tomorrow!

BREAD PUDDING

Basic Ingredients:
Stale bread (if not stale, toast a bit)
4 Eggs
2 C Milk
My Recipe adds:
1 Large Handful Onion, diced
1 Large Handful Carrots, chopped
1 Large Handful Potatoes (round fingerlings, unpeeled)
2 T Goat Cheese (fresh, herbed)
1 T Oregano (dry)
1 T Marjoram (dry)
1 T Paprika (smoked)
1 T White Pepper
1/2 t Tumeric
1/2 t Sage

1. Crumble bread in large chunks into an 8-inch square baking pan until about 2/3 full. (Preheat oven to 350°F, too.)
2. Add the vegetables and mix with the bread to distribute evenly.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, herbs and spices and pour over the bread mixture.
4. Let soak for a few minutes - make sure all the bread gets moist.
5. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes (until knife comes out clean.)
6. Raise heat to 500°F for 5 minutes to brown and crisp up crust.
7. EAT!