Walnut Loaf

Food Network, Sara Moulton

Makes 6 servings

    Mushroom Gravy                                                 
    9 slices whole wheat bread                                     
    2 cups walnuts (8 oz.)                                         
    3 lg. eggs                                                     
    3 med. onions diced                                            
    1 sm. green bell pepper diced                                  
    1 rib celery minced                                            
    1 bunch sm. parsley no stem, chopped                           
    2/3 cup canned crushed tomatoes well drained                   
    -1 diced tomato well drained                                   
    1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil                                   
    1 teaspoon poultry seasoning                                   
    1 teaspoon salt                                                
    Pepper                                                         

Prep Time: 20 minutes/Inactive Prep Time: 25 minutes/Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Toast the bread slices either in the toaster or on a baking sheet placed under the broiler. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, then line the bottom with waxed paper and butter the paper.

Tear up the toasted bread slices and make crumbs out of them in a food processor. Place in a large bowl.

Process the walnuts until finely ground and mix into the bread crumbs. Combine the eggs and onions in the processor and process until fine but not liquefied. Stir into the bread crumbs. Place the green pepper, celery, parsley, tomatoes, and oil in the processor and grind until fine but still with some texture. Stir into the loaf mixture along with the poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix this all very well until evenly moistened. (The mixture may be prepared to this point and refrigerated up to 8 hours in advance.) Scrape it into the prepared loaf pan and smooth over the top. Cover the loaf with foil.

Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out dry. Let sit 5 minutes, then run a knife all along the sides of the loaf to help loosen it. Unmold the loaf onto a platter and remove the waxed paper. Let the loaf cool 20 minutes or so before slicing it. It's best to serve the loaf warm and the gravy hot.

My Notes: This was surprisingly good, despite the unappetizing title. Simple to make and pretty hearty. I used leftover breadcrumbs instead of bread. That was good because they were flavored, but there wasn't enough in the can to equal 9 slices of bread, so the loaf was a little crumbly. Next time, make sure to use enough breadcrumbs/dressing.

MXF