This is my first post with a recipe for you all. While visiting in southern California Mike watched TV!!!! That NEVER happens at our place. For us, it’s one of those things we do in a hotel room, on vacation, after a long day of exploring a new city; you get back to your hotel room, your feet aching from so much walking, your belly full of tasty restaurant food and alcoholic beverages and you just collapse. Usually this type of television watching includes really bad comedy sitcoms, reality TV or old movies. On this trip, at my parents’ home in Orange County, it involved a food show. Jacque Pepin’s, ‘Essential Pepin’ to be exact, with his French accent and all his butter soaked cooking. I watched one episode and everything he made seemed to involve at least 1 stick of butter. Well, except this recipe, which I missed watching!!
Mike kept going on about some galettes he wanted to make and I really had no clue exactly what they were, even after his description. I’m kinda a bossy stubborn “I want to do it my way” type of cook in the kitchen and sometimes I just have to let go and say, “Mike, whatever you want to make, that sounds great, you should make them and I’ll gladly eat them.” Usually the dialogue is more, “Mike, I think the onions are on too high and they’re going to burn. Oh don’t it like that, do it like this!” and thus ‘take over’ the kitchen and his cooking when really I should just be sitting back with a glass of wine, propping my feet on something soft and saying to myself, “my husband is cooking, sit back and enjoy this.” And it’s not even that my husband ‘doesn’t cook’, he does, and he’s capable and willing, it’s more me who is not willing to give reins to someone else in ‘my’ kitchen. Gosh, I sound horrible!!
Anyhow, I’m getting better at this, and it helps to not even be around when said lunch by husband is being prepared, because then I really can’t butt in. Today yesterday Mike made Pepin’s Zucchini and Mushroom Galettes. Why am I posting this on my bread blog you ask? Why, the recipe involves old bread! Wondering what to do with some of your staling on the counter, I can’t eat it fast enough, another loaf will be here any second bread? Make galettes!!!
These came out really really really really good. They are like zucchini fritters except there are pieces of bread that have been soaked in a little water to hydrate them. The zucchini are chopped up fine instead of shredded, though shredding would work well here too. There are savory mushrooms, chives (or in our Mike’s case, onions), parsley and some whipped up eggs to hold them all together and then they are fried, preferably in a hot skillet, until golden brown and delicious. I then butted in and added some grated parmesan and a touch of smoked sea salt I stole from my brother (shhhh, don’t tell!). They were incredible and I highly suggest you get into your kitchen and give them a go, and then come back here and tell me what you think.
Happy eating everyone!
This recipe can be altered for sure. Don’t have mushrooms and zucchini? I bet diced bell peppers, cilantro and corn would be nice. Or maybe peas and carrots? Basil, tomato and eggplant? The possibilities are endless. Use your best judgment, I promise not to butt in!
Serve these with a side salad.
Bread Galettes
2 1/2 ounces stale bread, preferably from a baguette, cut into 1 inch pieces (2 cups)
1/2 cup lukewarm water 1 large mushroom (about 1 1/2 ounces), washed and coarsely chopped
1 piece zucchini (2 ounces), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
(1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped (1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1. Place the bread pieces in a bowl, add the water, and squeeze the bread lightly to saturate it with the water. Add the mushroom, zucchini, onion, chives, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and the eggs, and mix well. (The ingredients should be well combined but not like a purée.) Yield: About 2 cups.
2. Heat the canola oil in one large or two smaller skillets. Using about 1/2 cup of the bread mixture for each of four pancakes, spoon it into the skillet(s), and press down on it with a fork to make pancakes that are about 5 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Cook the pancakes for about 5 minutes over medium to high heat, then flip them over, and cook them on the other side for 5 minutes. Transfer the pancakes (or galettes) to a warm plate, and serve with a side salad.
BAKESTER 