Weekly Wonders: Pashtida

And now, the second edition of Weekly Wonders: In the Kitchen.

Jake has been working crazy hours for the past few weeks, so I try to send a bit of dinner with him when he leaves in the morning. For a few days it was made-from-scratch gluten free mac and cheese, which was a big hit. But once that was finished I had to think of something else. I'd been craving something my mom used to make, called Pashtida, an Israeli dish that is a cross between a crustless quiche and a frittata. So I decided to try that.

It was a little messy so I wasn't able to take as many photos as I would have liked, but it's a fairly easy dish and I'm sure you'll be able to follow along!

You will need:

1 large-ish yam (peeled)
3 small potatoes (peeled if you want)
3 zucchinis
1 small onion
1 apple (any kind is fine)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 cup grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon each of cumin and paprika
salt and pepper (to taste)
3/4 cup bread crumbs or gluten free bread crumbs
1 tablespoon potato starch (for gluten free version) OR
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon olive oil
about 10 olives to decorate the top

Begin by grating the yam, potatoes, zucchinis, onion, apple, and garlic. I used a food processor and it was super easy.

Dump everything into a large bowl and admire the pretty colors.

Grate 1 cup of cheese, I like sharp cheddar so that's what I used, but this would be good with anything flavorful—gouda, feta, parmesan. Add the cheese to the big bowl.

Then add the 4 eggs, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Next add the breadcrumbs and starch. If you are working gluten free, the extra potato starch will help as a binder. If you are using wheat breadcrumbs, add a little corn starch to help minimize moisture. Finally, add the olive oil and mix everything together. If the mix seems too wet add some more breadcrumbs, you want it to stick together a bit.

When everything is thoroughly mixed, preheat your oven to 350°F and dump it into a 9x13 glass baking dish. Use a spoon to smooth it out and create an even layer.

Slice your olives into halves or thirds and arrange them on the top of the Pashtida in a pretty pattern. Press them gently into the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. At that point, check to see if things are looking done, if not, leave it in for another 10 minutes. Once the Pashtida is mostly cooked, remove the foil and let the top brown for 5-10 more minutes.

This is best served warm and we like to eat it with some plain yogurt or sour cream. Add a nice salad and you've got dinner!

Enjoy!