Cake for Dinner!

This savory cake is absolutely wonderful. I made it so that Adam and I could have lunches this week, but I could not stop eating it for dinner. I had to put it in the fridge so that I would stop! The array of vegetables mixed with cheddar cheese and the dill-spiced cake make a perfect combination. There is a lot of butter in this recipe, which I don't really like, but I think lessening the butter used to grease the pan and the amount to saute the onions can keep the fat in check without altering the recipe too much. I will look forward to my lunch tomorrow though!


Vegetable Upside-Down Cake (The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Mollie Katzen)

Part I: "The Vegetables"

3 Tbs. butter
1 heaping cup chopped onion
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 medium-sized carrot, diced
1 1/2 cups small cauliflower florets
1 cup minced red bell pepper
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
5 medium cloves garlic, minced
5 scallions, minced (whites and greens)
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
1 packed cup grated sharp cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch pan with 2 Tbs. of the butter. Put up a medium-sized saucepan of water to boil. Have ready a strainer and a bowl of ice water.
2. Melt the remaining Tbs. of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until translucent and soft (8 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, when the water comes to a boil, drop in the broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower, and blanch for just 30 seconds. Drain in the strainer over a sink, then immediately drop into the ice water. After a few minutes, drain again, dry with paper towels, and transfer to a bowl.
4. Add the sauteed onion and the remaining uncooked vegetables. Mix well, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Spread the vegetables into the buttered pan, and sprinkle the cheese over the top. (Wipe out the bowl so you can use it again for Part 2.)

Part II: "The Cake"

1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour [I didn't have any so I used whole wheat flour.]
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. each: dried oregano and thyme
2 Tbs. minced fresh dill
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
2 Tbs. melted butter

1. Sift together flours, baking powder, soda, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugars and herbs. Mix well, and make an indentation in the center.
2. In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk or yogurt, and melted butter.
3. Pour the liquid mixture into the well in the center for the dry ingredients. Mix by hand--minimally but thoroughly--until well combined, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
4. Carefully spread the batter over the vegetables in the pan (PART I). Use a blunt knife and/or rubber spatula to distribute it as evenly as possible.
5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes--until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Have ready a clean serving tray slightly larger than the baking pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert the cake firmly and carefully onto the tray. Bring the whole thing to the table to delight your dinner guests. Cut into squares; serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

This pasta was another meal that we created from the leftover ingredients of our fondue night and wine country picnic--like I said, we bought way too much. Any vegetables and any type of pasta would work well for this meal. We roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and asparagus in a 400 degree oven for approximately 35 minutes, or until the vegetables were caramelized and golden brown. We made homemade whole wheat pasta, which we tossed with 1/2 cup homemade pesto, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and the roasted vegetables. If you don't have time to make homemade pasta and pesto, this meal will still be fantastic. The only problem is that we ate it al,l and I didn't have any leftovers for lunch.

Salad Suggestions

This isn't so much of a recipe as a suggestion for salad toppings. Adam's parents had come for a visit and we ended up buying way too much food for our fondue night and picnic in wine country. We had to be creative in finding ways to use the food in new and interesting ways. The first of these was a salad. We topped salad greens with apple pieces, sliced watermelon radish, blue cheese, steamed asparagus, and homemade croutons. I had a little bit of cubed tofu on my salad for some protein while Adam had sauteed shrimp. Adam sauteed the shrimp with minced garlic, then added a splash of white wine and chopped parsley. The croutons were made in a similar way by placing cubed bread in a saute pan with olive oil and a pad of butter, a bit of garlic, a splash of white wine, and parsley. All I can say is that the options for salad are endless, and here are just a few more suggestions that you may want to add to your repertoire.