Mushroom Nut Loaf

A Vegetarian “Meatloaf” style entrée

This is one vegetarian recipe that everyone should have in their arsenal. With caramelized onions, mushrooms, and garlic, it's full of rich, savory, deliciousness. It's also super nutritious and high in protein with three kinds of nuts, eggs, brown rice, and cheese. And it pairs well with just about any sides. What's more, you can do all the slicing and dicing, all the sautéing and mixing in advance, pour it into a loaf pan, and leave it in the fridge to be baked an hour before serving. I've yet to find anyone who doesn't like it—toddlers, old folks, vegetarians, omnivores—everyone comes back for seconds.

The first time I made this, I loved the flavor, but I wasn't entirely happy with the visual aspect after I turned it out of the pan. It wasn't bad, just very plain. When I make traditional meatloaf, I top it (like so many of us do) with a ketchup based glaze that goes on before baking. That wouldn’t work here because the loaf is inverted when removed from the pan. The next time I made it, I whipped up a two-minute glaze that added a tangy sweetness. It also brought some color and made the dish more eye-catching.

 Note: Here’s the best way to line your pan with parchment. Place the pan on the parchment and use a pencil to trace around the bottom of the pan. Cut out your traced rectangle and you have a perfectly sized sheet of parchment. Grease the entire pan, place the parchment, then grease the top of the parchment. This is a fool-proof method to make sure your loaf doesn’t stick.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice

• 1 cup walnuts

• 1 cup cashews

• 1 cup chestnuts, precooked, coarsely chopped

• olive oil for sautéing

• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

• 3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped

• 4 ounces white or brown mushrooms, coarsely chopped

• 1/4 cup Madeira

• 1/2 packed cup each, of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and cilantro

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• 1 ½ cups gruyere cheese, grated

• 1/4 cup grated hard cheese, such as Locatelli, Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, etc.

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon ground coriander

• ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom

• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

For the glaze:

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

• 2 tablespoons date Syrup

• Optional Garnish: fresh pomegranate arils

Method:

• Cook the rice according to package directions.

• Preheat oven to 375°F.

• Spread the walnuts and cashews out on a sheet pan, in a single layer. Roast them until lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Set them aside and allow them to cool.

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, then stir in the teaspoon of salt, the pepper, the chopped parsley, the cottage cheese, and the grated cheeses.

• Finely chop the toasted nuts in a food processor, then add them to the bowl with the eggs and cheeses. Don't wipe out the food processor.

• In a large skillet, heat a generous glug of olive oil. Add the onions, give them a light sprinkling of salt, and cook until they’re translucent and beginning to take on color.

• Add the mushrooms, the garlic, the herbs, the spices, and a bit more salt, and sauté until everything is nicely caramelized.

• Deglaze the pan with the Madeira and cook, stirring, until the liquid is mostly absorbed.

• Allow the contents of the pan to cool, then scrape them into the food processor you used for the nuts.

• In the same pan, toss the chestnuts over medium heat until they release their aroma. Then add the chestnuts and the rice to the food processor. Process until fine but not puréed, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl. The mixture should still contain some texture.

• Butter a 9-inch loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter it again. Spoon the mixture from the bowl into the pan and smooth the top.

• Bake the loaf for 1 hour, until golden brown. Let it cool in pan for 15-20 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the sides of the pan to make sure that the loaf doesn't stick, then invert the pan over a serving platter, lift off the pan, and strip off the parchment.

• Spread the glaze evenly over the top, and sprinkle on a bit of snipped herbs. Scatter some pomegranate arils if using.

• Bring your beautiful mushroom nut loaf to the table.

• Leftovers keep well for several days. You can also freeze the loaf raw and bake it later. Just be sure to defrost it completely in the fridge before baking.

For the Glaze:

• 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses

• 2 tablespoon date syrup

• a pinch of cardamom

Stir the ingredients together in a small sauce pan. Taste it. If you’d like it sweeter, add a little more date syrup until you’re satisfied with the results.

Bring the glaze to a boil and remove immediately from the heat. You’re glaze is ready to use.