Three out of three recipes I’ve made from Mark Bitmann’s book have been absolutely AMAZING. I recommend this book not only for the content in the first half, but the incredible recipes in the second half! This time I modified his eggplant and grain torta because I had several butternut squash that had been sitting around for quite some time. The girls helped me make this one for a dinner party tonight and while it is pretty easy to make it is a definitely gift of love- taking nearly 2 hours to complete. But so worth it.
Savory Vegetable and Quinoa Torta
Ingredients:
2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
About 3/4 cup olive oil
2 medium butternut squash, peeled, cut crosswise into thin slices
4 medium zucchinis, cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked quinoa
fresh sage, chopped
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the onions in a large dry skillet with a lid over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring infrequently, until the onions are dry and almost sticking to the pan, about 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown, another 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside,
2. Meanwhile, smear 2 (or more) baking sheets with 2 tablespoons oil each. Lay the squash on one sheet and the zucchini on the other in a single layer: (You may need to work in batches, cooking the squash on the 2 baking sheets, then cooking the zucchini.) Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and drizzle or brush each with another couple tablespoons of oil. Roast until the squash and zucchini are soft. (about 10-1 minutes)
3. Coat the bottom and inside the ring of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with some oil. Press half of the cooked grains into the bottom of the pan to form an even crust, about 1/2 inch thick, covering the bottom completely. Layer a third of the squash slices on top of the grain crust, then layer half the zucchini, half of the caramelized onions, and some of the sage, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper; repeat the layers, pressing down gently on each one, and ending with squash. Spread the remaining grain on top and press with a spatula or spoon to make the torta as compact as possible.
4. Put the torta in the oven and cook about 30 minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes before carefully removing the outer ring of the pan. Then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Garnish with the remaining sage and serve.
