This mushroom and pea pasta cabonara was a last-minute addition to our Thanksgiving menu in the fall. It was whipped up quickly and easily, but it turned out to be my favourite dish! The bacon and cream didn’t weigh down the pasta at all, probably because of all the bright, green peas studding the entire thing. I loved the salty cubes of crispy bacon, the mellow and earthy mushrooms, and the light touch of cream. While I am not the biggest fan of peas, I was able to forgive them this time, because they gave the dish a beautiful sweetness.

This was made without any recipe, but here’s the basic idea.

These are the ingredients that went into our version – use as much or as little as you would like, or for as many people as you’re cooking for.

Bacon (as much as you would want!)
Mushrooms (2 packages)
1 yellow onion
2 cups frozen green peas
3 eggs
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup whole milk or half and half
1 – 1 ½ pounds egg noodles
Salt and pepper

Slice mushrooms and dice onion(s). Set aside.

Take as much bacon as you would want in your dish – cut into cubes, and sauté, until browned, crispy and crunchy. Remove from pan, but leave all that delicious bacon grease in there.

Saute the onions and then the mushrooms in the bacon fat. Remove.

Combine mushrooms, onion, bacon and frozen peas in a bowl. Set aside.

To make the cream sauce, whisk together the eggs (3 should do it for 4 servings) and grated parmesan cheese. Add ½ cup of cream or half-and-half. Stir and set aside.

Boil salted water; add pasta (I used egg noodles for this one) (between 1 pound and 1½ pounds). Cook until al dente.

Drain pasta – add pasta immediately to the bowl of mushrooms, bacon, peas and onion. Pour in the egg/cream/cheese mixture. Toss with vigour. Season to taste and serve!

This is probably my favourite lasagna recipe ever. It is simply the perfect lasagna…so much so that I made it twice within a two-week period. So what do I love about it?

I love how it’s packed with veggies – and it’s so easy to be able to use which ever veggies you want in it. I added a lot to it that wasn’t in the original recipe, and I know you can add whatever it is that makes your mouth happy. You can taste all the veggie goodness in it too – they don’t all just blend together in one tasteless lump, but each vegetable maintains a bit of crunch and a whole lot of flavour.

The cheese filling! I loved the combination of ricotta and cream cheese. I’m sure many people, especially lasagna purists, will find this addition strange, an abomination against true lasagnas everywhere, but it really is fantastic. It gives a smoothness and a bit of tartness, which plays perfectly with the sweet tomato sauce.

This does take a little time to make, since there’s so much chopping, but the end result is worth it. You probably get about 18 servings of vegetables in one piece, so you can feel virtuous eating it as well.

Garden Goodness Vegetarian Lasagna
adapted from Paula Deen
Printable Recipe

VEGETABLE FILLING
2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1/2 cup thinly sliced parsnips (or squash)
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

SAUCE
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup sliced fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

CHEESE MIXTURE
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt

8 oven-ready, “no cook,” lasagna noodles
8 slices provolone cheese, thinly sliced (I used emmental the last time, worked great!)
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. Combine all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place about 1/3 of the veggies in pan and cook until slightly tender. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all the veggies have been lightly cooked.

2. Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, garlic, oregano, bay leaf, sugar, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, ricotta, eggs and salt. Stir together.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Spread 1/3 of the sauce evenly over bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Place 4 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Do not overlap noodles. Spread 1/2 of cream cheese mixture over noodles. Cover cheese mixture with 1/2 the vegetable mixture, more sauce, and top evenly with slices provolone cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with 4 noodles, rest of the cream cheese mixture, vegetables, sauce, and remaining cheese. Place in oven for 35 minutes or until lasagna is hot and bubbling

Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Here’s another savory recipe, this time for the vegetarians among us. I followed Handle the Heat‘s recipe exactly, and these muffins turned out just perfectly. They’re easy, tasty and really visually stunning!

They get a salty kick from all the chunks of feta, and the soft flavour of the roasted red peppers counteracts the saltiness. The basil is quite strong in these muffins, and so the flavour works wonderfully. The muffins themselves are moist, with just a bit of crumb. There is nothing I didn’t like about these muffins. I love savory muffins as a snack in the afternoon; I don’t often crave sweet stuff at 2pm, but I definitely crave the salty, and one of these fits the bill. They’re also great as a bread to serve alongside dinner. I froze half of them, and would pull one out every now and then to bring as part of my lunch, so they definitely freeze well.

Highly, highly recommended!

Feta, Basil, and Roasted Red Pepper Muffins
adapted from Handle the Heat
Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup jarred roasted red bell pepper, patted dry and chopped into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil
1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in the center. Lightly coat the muffin tin with melted butter, oil, or high-heat canola-oil spray., or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, and chopped basil. Set aside. Pour the buttermilk into the measuring cup. Add the olive oil and the egg and whisk together until well blended.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir gently with a spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few small lumps scattered throughout are fine – they will disappear during baking. Gently fold in the feta cheese mixture until evenly distributed in the batter.

4. Use the large ice cream scoop or 2 soup spoons to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

5. Gently run a thin knife or spatula around each muffin to free it from the pan, lift out the muffins, and transfer them to a rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for 1 month. Reheat room temperature muffins in oven at 375 for about 8 minutes or in microwave.

It’s been pretty hot here lately, so I figured what better recipe to post than a slightly spicy, very flavourful and cheesy Chili Cheese Bread? It’s a simple quick bread to prepare, and I think it would be an awesome choice for any summer picnic or BBQ.

This bread is extremely moist, with a slight crunch on the top crust. It uses three different types of peppers: fresh jalapeno, some canned peppers and red bell pepper, so there’s a definite heat to the bread, as well as a freshness coming from the bell pepper. The cheese, of course, only makes the bread more flavourful.

I reduced the amount of pepper used in the recipe. For me, I could’ve had things a little spicier, but since I was making it for others who aren’t all that impressed with spicy foods, I reduced it. However, some still found it spicy, so take care when choosing the amount of your peppers. I used canned jalapeno peppers, so but only half the can.

Given how easy this bread is to make, and just how packed with flavour it is, I can see myself making it time and time again.

Chili-Cheese Bread
Adapted from Pink Parsley Catering, adapted from Savory Baking, Mary Cech

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
3 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno chili, veined and seeded
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375, and  grease or spray an 8×3 inch loaf pan.

2. Sift together the flour, salt, pepper, sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Add the cheese and gently toss and stir until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

3. Whisk the milk, oil, egg, green chilies, jalapeno, and red bell pepper in another bowl.  Make a well in the center of the flour and cheese mixture, and pour the milk mixture in the center.  Briefly blend with a spatula, only until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and place in the oven.  Bake until the top is golden-brown, and springs back when touched in the center, about 45-50 minutes.  Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.

When I saw this dish on Smitten Kitchen, it spoke to me. I love things like this – oven-baked, soul-comforting gratins are among my favourite foods. Especially if they include sweet potatoes!

I made this to bring to our Christmas Eve dinner, and I was extremely happy with how it turned out. I swapped the swiss chard in the original for spinach and used more Swiss cheese than Gruyere. I kept everything else the same as the original.

Everything went together really well. I loved the onions and spinach filling, the thick slabs of sweet potato and the rich, creamy béchamel. The veggies weren’t overly wet at all and absorbed the béchamel sauce well. The sweet potatoes ended up being the right texture, and the spinach tasted amazing alongside the potatoes. I loved the Swiss/Gruyere cheese mixture -the dish wasn’t overly cheesy, so you could still taste all the separate parts of the gratin.

It is a bit time-consuming to prepare, and uses a fair number of dishes. It’s well worth it in the end though! You’re left with a comforting sweet potato dish that can feed an army, and feed them well!

Spinach and Sweet Potato Gratin
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and liquid pressed out
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces shredded Grueyere cheese
3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

1. Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add spinach, pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then transfer greens to a colander to drain well and press out liquid with back of a large spoon.

2. Combine cream or milk and garlic in small saucepan; bring to simmer; keep warm. Melt two tablespoons butter in a medium heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, whisking, one minute, then slowly whisk in warm cream/milk and boil, whisking, one minute. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter deep 9×13 baking dish. Spread half of sweet potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and a 1/4 cup of the cheese. Distribute half of the greens mixture over the cheese, then sprinkle salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese over it. Pour half of bechamel sauce over the first two layers then continue with the remaining sweet potatoes, more salt, pepper, herbs and cheese and then the remaining greens, salt, pepper and herbs. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the gratin, pressing the vegetables slightly to ensure that they are as submerged as possible. Sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of cheese.

4. Bake gratin for about 1 hour until golden and bubbly, and most of the liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

If you like this, you might also like:

Crepes Terrine with Spinach, Mushroom, and Smoked Turkey
Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
Butternut Squash and Pecan Lasagne

I have a terrible habit… cooking for 50 when only five are around. I think I topped out at 12 liters in my last attempt at soup. Small pots help keep me honest, but I seem to always find a way. This is true with spaghetti – mounds of it left over – always.

This is not a bad thing, especially considering the convention of the frittata!

These are many ways to approach this. I like the day old spagettes, but any older and you might want to freshen the mix by inviting some fresh veg into the equation. Try wilting spinach, frying onions, or adding fresh tomatoes.

Spaghetti Frittata

Start by sparking the broiler and getting an oven safe skillet to medium-high heat.

In a bowl, whisk as many eggs as you need (i.e. about 1 per serving @ 6 – 10 servings). I’ve seen recipes that might discard every other yolk, but I don’t. Depending on your original pasta sauce, you might not need to season the eggs – a softer sauce might require you to add salt, pepper, etc… use your judgment.

Now the fun part – it’s best to work with a slightly warmer leftover so pull your spaghetti earlier or warm in just a tad in the microwave. Fold the spaghetti into your egg mixture and ensure and even coating.

On your medium-high hot skillet, gently and evenly add the mixture. Let in cook on the stove-top for 5 -7 minutes and follow up with another 3 – 5 minutes under the broiler. I like to pull it in the last 2 minutes to add a coating of any gritty sharp Parmesan. Keep an eye on it as broilers are mean, loud, and pushy

Slice like a pizza – um – a pie? A pie.

Serve with a salad or a quartered and salted tomato – all doused with your best olive oil.

The play of textures in this crispy, flavorful, and tender point is bliss and makes a great snack, light meal, or easy take-with-you lunch idea.

I miss writing, especially here. Been gone, but where?

These were the days of my life since… last October. I am a foodie, but a keener of the sort. I have loved food since the start – easy hobby I figured. My mom didn’t really “love” food, but she loved the people eating it, and it showed. She gave me a head start on the whole ethnic palette idea – foreign color, flavor, and texture on a regular basis. I explicitly remember the breaded and baked calf brains served with a highly acidic, but still un-cured green/white cabbage salad. I was 7. I was not happy.

Pied de Cochon make a great calf brain omelet soufflé thing – fantastic

Taken from www.rawfish.com.au/brains-and-bacon/ - this is about what it looked like, but my mom served this with a cabbage salad and did not use any bacon.

Anyway, I started cooking and eating everywhere/everything. Traveling as a foodie is too good, especially if stop as you go… so after taking to as many markets, tables, sidewalks as there are types of bread, I decided to take a few sporadic plunges.

The Ritz Carlton – as far I know, my mentor. I worked there as a banquette server, always between the kitchen and the client. The kitchen was – the best. It’s where I saw my first 400 liter stock pot.

Other restos followed. I served mostly, but that implies always near the kitchen. Italian, Sushi, Chinese, tapas, bars and pubs – all different; all fascinating.

I eventually managed a couple for restos, but most recently, in the last year in fact, I was a chef. I cheffed for fifty, everyday.

They loved it. I loved it. Here a short list of some of what I served: Sample Menus

Why am I telling you all this? Because I went from foodie to pro, and thought you should know. Plus, I just sort of want to say thanks to all the people who truly love food and have shared with me their experience and passion – professionals and foodies, diners and dishers, servers and savants… thanks. My palette will forever know the amalgamation of texture and flavor one uses to taste the art of life…

…and with that, one of my favorites from the last year:

Crepes Terrine with Spinach, Mushroom, and Smoked Turkey

Crepes are my favorite and are in fact the first thing I learned to make after the fried egg. I know it as a breakfast food or dessert and love the way you can fill them up and roll them on your plate, blanketing them in any of many syrups, sauces, or jams. But the rich and sumptuous crepe is far more ready for a savory setting than I had earlier thought, dans la forme d’une… terrine? Sorta. Not exactly right, but serves the purpose.

So, first – prepare you fillings:

Mushrooms and Spinach

I like to use a mix of mushrooms that have been roasted and chopped with a bit of salt and pepper or a mushroom duxelle – nothing too fancy required, but feel free to experiment. Be wary of over flavoring as the finished dish is quite complex from a flavor perspective. Same goes for the spinach – roasted with salt and pepper. I mixed both of these with some onions rendered in butter for some extra flavor. Again, any approach to creating a delicately flavorful filling is good.

Smoked Turkey

I did this dish with shrimp when I was working (cooked then minced with green onion and garlic), but the deli-slice is far easier to work with. Use any you like, i.e. smoked turkey, but nothing too crazy. Finding something with little salt and fat is a good start.

Cheese

Buying sliced cheese is fun, but pricey. I like to get a few small chunks, grate, and mix (at work, this was replaced with a saffron roux and wilted spinach with onion). I also included a few intermittent layers holding brie as their prize. Remember to save some cheese to top the terrine.

Crepes

¾ cup all purpose flour (you can use any basic flour, but the texture will change)
1 cup milk
3 eggs
½ tablespoon sugar (optional, but I like the bit of sweetness)
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk the eggs and milk together – you can optionally do all this in a blender or using a hand blender. Add the sugar, mix again. Temper the hot butter and add to the mix. Add remaining ingredients and mix for a last time. Store this in your fridge for one hour. This is required for a moist and tender crepe as the flour will have the time require to sponge-ily absorb the wet stuffs. Drink flour, drink (evil laugh)…

Heat a non-stick pan, butter it, and drop a teaspoon of the batter in the middle. Leave there until firm and then wipe it around the pan and throw it away (well, eat it, but for some reason the first crepe is never a nice one). Heat up your oven to the minimum setting and leave the crepes in there with a slightly damp towel overlying to keep them from drying.

Once done, and in an oven safe vessel, start the layering. Make sure to double or maybe triple the crepe count at the bottom so that you have something of a base. Use an intermittent method, is this case, mushrooms, turkey, cheese, mushroom, turkey, brie, as so on…

Top the last crepe with your reserved cheese, some crushed oregano, and finish in a 350C oven for a few minutes, just to melt the cheese. Remove, let rest 10 minutes, and then slice with a bread knife or another super sharp or toothy knife – enjoy.

You have the option to top with a hollandaise or other like sauce, but I like a drizzle of truffle oil and maple syrup. Serve with a sharp crisp white wine.

Now, I was sort of mentioning a shrimp based approach, but there are many options here. Enjoy ham, smoked salmon, spinach, avocado, other cheeses, other sauces, and of course – any dessert manifestation.

When my mom and sister returned from Paris this spring, they came bearing the gift of blue cheese – and lots of it! Now, I like blue cheese, but there’s no way I can devour a slab of it as is; I much prefer having it in a dish. I searched for something to make with this fine French blue, and finally stumbled upon this recipe for a tart made with pears, spinach, onions, and of course, lots of blue cheese. I was entranced.

This is a really playful combination of flavours. You have to be a major blue cheese fan to like this tart, as that is the predominant taste. However, all the other ingredients really pop out in the background: the pears are a nice, light sweetness, the spinach softens the bite of the blue cheese, and the onions bring in another, different element of sweetness. I think this tart is excellent, and it improves as it cools (warm or cold, it’s delicious!).

I would make some changes to the recipe though, and am writing it out in the way I will try next time. I used a tart pan (after all, it was called a tart!), but there was faaaaar too much egg/milk mixture for this. I ended up using about half of it before it started to overflow. I will definitely add more spinach, as I would’ve liked a stronger spinach taste, to even out the blue cheese a bit more. And I’ll definitely be using fresh pears, not canned, next time. The canned is okay, but they lost a lot of their pear flavour in the baking process, and I wasn’t fond of the texture (just a bit too mushy). Fresh pears will make this perfect.

Oh, and I used a pie crust mix, and didn’t make it from scratch, so this recipe is just for the filling. When it comes to tarts, I don’t think the trouble of making a crust from scratch is worth it, as you barely taste it. Also, I forgot to add the pepper and salt to the milk/egg mixture, and I don’t even notice it missing…

Pear, Spinach & Blue Cheese Tart
adapted from Our House
Printable Recipe

2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans (398ml) pear halves
1 bunch of spinach (definitely use more than less)
150g strong blue cheese
2 eggs
1 cup milk
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons grated parmesan

1. Prepare a tart crust and line a 9″ tart pan with the crust. Refrigerate for at least 30minutes.

2. Chop the onions and cook until golden brown in the butter. Put the onions into a sieve to drain off the butter.

3. Drain the pears and cut the halves in half.

4. Wash the spinach well and cook in a little water for a minute, immediately drain and plunge into cold water. Squeeze all the water out of the spinach and chop roughly.

5. Crumble the blue cheese.

6. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper and set aside.

7. To assemble the tart, spread the onions on the bottom, then the spinach, arrange the pears around the edge and lastly the blue cheese all over the tart. Fill with egg mixture and sprinkle the top with the parmesan.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 390 degrees C for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

If you like this, you might also like:

Tomato Tart
Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
Spanakopita

Soli made me poutine this weekend! It was even more delicious than usual.

There isn’t really a recipe, because poutine is forgiving in that way – pretty much anything can go in. This time, he baked up some potatoes, stirred together a brown sauce with two egg yolks to get in beautifully rich and velvety, added some peas, basil chiffonade and some seared foie gras – add the quintessential curds, bury the whole thing in gravy, and there it it – poutine!

It’s a beautiful thing, and my pretty much the most amazing meal possible.

This dish, as simple as it sounds, was a big hit and I completely loved it! Packed with flavours, it’s a warm and hearty dish that’s perfect for these fall days. It can be fantastic side dish, and can even be a main dish.

The garlic is not too strong, but is definitely a prime component to the overall flavour. I loved the idea of steeping it all in boiling milk; it made the garlic stand out, but not become overwhelming. Slightly crisp asparagus mixed with a variety of mushrooms, surrounded by creamy bread and topped with melted cheese – can you say delicious? I will be making this over and over.

I found many recipes for this floating around, and ended up using a combo of several. The original seems to stem from Deborah Madison, but Washington Times also put out a recipe for it as well (adapted from Madison’s). My version comes from the two…I’m writing it out as I made it, but feel free to make your own combo. It seems quite versatile.

I halved the recipes that I found, as only three people were eating – however, there still wasn’t enough to go around (it was that tasty!).

Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
adapted from Deborah Madison
(this recipe is for three people – double these amounts for a 6-serving dish)

5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole or low-fat milk
3 -4 sandwich loaves, cut into thick slices (preferably stale) (mine were fresh and I toasted them)
Kosher salt
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch pieces and soaked in cold water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 spring onions, finely diced (2 to 3 tablespoons)
1 pound mushroom mix – I used fresh shitake, oyster and button, cleaned and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2vlarge eggs
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a round gratin dish.

2. Combine the garlic and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove from the heat and set aside to steep (5 to 8 minutes).

3. If the bread is not stale, lay it on a large baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until crisp (but not hard, or the pudding will be mushy). Break the bread into chunks and put it in a large dish.

4. Pour the milk through a strainer over the bread (discarding the garlic) and let it sit while you prepare the vegetables, turning the bread occasionally so that it soaks up as much of the liquid as possible.

5. Fill a large skillet 2/3 of the way with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lightly salt the water and add the asparagus pieces; cook about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

6. Melt half the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the mushrooms. Increase the heat to high and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms brown in places and exude their liquid. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the parsley, oregano, 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Add the soaked bread and any liquid left in the dish, the asparagus-mushroom mixture and its juices and 2/3 of the cheese, mixing well.

8. Pour into the prepared baking or gratin dish and use a spatula to even it out. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dot with the remaining butter. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.