Prepare this wonderful autumn loaf on a windy and rainy day, and have fun on your day off. You will get approximately 12 slices. It freezes very well, so think of it as an investment for many meals of enjoyment.
You need
•2,5 l loaf pan (I prefer the non-stick kind)
Ingredients
•150 g Shiitake mushrooms
•650 g (a combination of white button and brown button) mushrooms
•25 g dried Porcini mushrooms
•300 g carrots
•1 tbs Herbes de Provence
•20 gr of fresh parsley
•6 eggs
•50 g shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
•2 large (or 3 small) red onions
•2 large (or 3 small) garlic cloves
•(coconut) oil
•300 g of mixed nuts
•(salt) and pepper
What to do
•put the dried mushrooms in a bowl, add some boiling water to cover them and let them sit for about 30 min.
•slice the Shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, carrots and garlic
•fry the garlic, onions and carrots in a large (non stick) pan with a bit of oil till they are soft (few minutes at medium heat)
•add the mushrooms and herbs and cook till the mushrooms are soft and set aside to cool
•chop the nuts and add to mushroom/carrot mixture
•chop the parsley and add it to the mixture together with the Herbes de Provence
•squeeze the water out of the soaked mushrooms, chop finely and add to the mushroom/carrot mixture
•once the mushroom/carrot mixture has cooled down completely, add (the cheese and) the eggs
•add (salt) and pepper
•grease the loaf pan and add the mixture, compact it making sure it is well distributed
•put in the middle of the oven and bake at 175C for 45 min.
•once the loaf is ready, let it cool down on a rack. Slice and serve or freeze
Remarks
•I find that if the nuts are (partly) salted, and if you do add the Parmesan, there is no extra salt needed;
•The best time to slice the loaf is when it has had the chance to set and cool down a bit, but before it is completely cold;
•You can use any type of nuts. I like to use a mixture of pecan, macadamia, cashew and walnuts.
•Any type of mushroom will work. Button mushrooms are economical but can be quite bland. That is why I like to add Shiitake and some dried Porcini. If you have access to a bigger variety of (inexpensive) mushrooms, I would definitely experiment and leave out some bottom mushrooms for, let's say Chanterelle.
