Without Rice-cooker, Panic Ensues

Well, not really. I didn't want to risk miscalculating the water needed for beans and rice on the stove. So instead of rice this week, I decided to try some other starch. I have bread, of course. Cornmeal mush. I could also make some kind of Vermont-inspired homemade cracker, or some approximation of Civil War hardtack biscuits.

I decided to go with my chewy Italian bread. Recalling that I enjoy the idea of strada, if not the actual execution, I created a meal - it's what I want strada to be in Lindseyland.

Lindsey's Pillowy Strada-in-a-Pan

2 or 3 slices of crusty Italian bread, cubed

2 large fresh eggs

Approximately 1/3 cup of PLAIN kefir or unsweetened yogurt

Approximately 1 cup of chopped fresh broccoli, spinach, or kale

Shredded mozzarella cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you prefer)

Salt, pepper, cayenne, sliced garlic to taste


Melt a little butter in a pan and dump the garlic in with it. Don't let it get too brown. Meanwhile, mix the eggs and yogurt together in a bowl until well blended and golden. Add the cubed bread to the bowl of egg mixture and stir gently - you want the bread to soak up the egg mixture until there's almost no liquid element at the bottom of the bowl.

Add some cayenne or whatever you like to the bread/egg mixture, and mix lightly. Pour into pan with hot butter and garlic. Add your fresh vegetables and sprinkle with cheese. Lower heat and cover. After at least five minutes, check the underside of the egg mixture with a spatula. Shouldn't be too burnt, just crispy and brown! Flip or mix up the strada and continue cooking, covered. By now your greens should be brightening up and looking tender.

When strada is just cooked through, serve and eat! The bread cubes will be savory, and fluffy, moist in some places and crispy in others. Soft, but resilient to the bite. Perfect.

This is not a photogenic meal, but it is a tasty and quick after-work nosh. Obvy good for messy brunch, too.

I followed it with my Recession Dessert: cornmeal mush topped with brown sugar, bananas, cinnamon, and a little more plain kefir. The sourness adds complexity, and is especially good with the sweetness of the ripe banana.