Cheese and Nut Loaf with Wild Mushroom Sauce

The other day, Gregory came home from family business & the scorching Miami heat to the “chilly” Hudson Valley (we have been having a terrific summer!!!) Anyway, he needed a hearty, nice meal to arrive home too. Last Christmas our wonderful neighbors across the street Anna, David and their super kids Julian and Violet Yaffe, gave our home a vegetarian cookbook "The Greens Cookbook" by Deborah Madison. Anna had suggested the Cheese and Nut Loaf with Wild Mushroom Sauce. So, I took Anna’s suggestion and whipped up this wonderful hearty delight. Boy! Was the vegetarian terrine tasty and rich, cooked in an Emile Henry Loaf Pan it came out like magic!!! The loaf was soft, dense and was definitely a satisfying main coarse, served with a side of garlic string beans from Davenport Farms. The next day, as a left over, we put slices on toasted12 Grain Bread for lunch. A extra yummy sandwich….

Cheese and Nut Loaf

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
1 ½ cups walnuts
½ cup cashews
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ cup mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped
½ to one ounce dried shitake or porcini mushrooms, soaked for 20 minutes in hot water and chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1-tablespoon marjoram, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1-teaspoon sage, chopped, or ½ teaspoon dried sage
4 eggs beaten
1-cup cottage cheese
9 to 12 ounces cheese, grated (use a variety of cheeses, depending on what you have on hand and make sure they go well together…I used Gruyere, Mild Cheddar, Jack.
Ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Begin by cooking the brown rice, unless you have some cooked. Roast the nuts in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, and then chop them finely.

Cook the onion in the butter over moderate heat until translucent; then season with salt and add the garlic, chopped mushrooms, dried mushrooms, and herbs. Cook until the liquid being released by the mushrooms has been reduced. Combine this mixture with the rice, nuts, eggs, cottage cheese, and grated cheese. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and additional salt, if needed.

Lightly butter an Emile Henry Loaf Pan; then line it with buttered wax paper or parchment paper. Fill the pan and bake the loaf at 375° Fahrenheit until the top is golden and rounded, about 1 to 1 ¼ hours. The loaf should be firm when you give the pan a shake.

Let the loaf sit 10 minutes before turning it out onto a serving plate, then take off the paper. Serve with the Wild Mushroom Sauce (see below)

Wild Mushroom Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups Wild Mushroom Stock or Broth
1-tablespoon tomato sauce or 1 teaspoon of pureed sun dried tomatoes, I combo-ed and used both!
4 tablespoons cream
Salt
Pepper

Melt the butter in a Viking Cookware Saucepan, then stir in the flour with a sauce whisk, cook over a low flame for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat to let cool slightly. Bring the mushroom stock to a boil; whisk it into the cooled roux. Stir in the tomato and the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!!!!

SBN