Savory Vegetable Cheesecake --- OVO-LACTO

[Guest guest]

I was very, very skeptical about this recipe at first because the thought of

a VEGGIE cheesecake seemed really odd, and I kept getting vibes that it

would turn to be very bland and tasteless, but it was actually REALLY good!!

It is a little time-consuming if you make it all at one go, but if you

make it 2 nights ahead of time, or in installments, so to speak, it is

really worth it. You know, just do one part of the recipe one night and the

other part of the recipe the next night. That way, you're not spending time

on it all at once, and as you go along, it keeps well in the fridge until

it's completely made and ready to pop into the oven!

 

Normally, I don't spend much time in the kitchen cooking during summer, but

I was so curious about this recipe, and I'm glad I was because it really was

a treat! My I-hate-anything-vegetarian little sister loved it and wants me

to make it again sometime; my father had three large helpings, and my mother

emitted various " mmmm " sounds of different tonalities as she ate. :-) So I

think it was a big hit. Yay! Most of my trouble cooking a meal for the whole

family (especially since they're not vegetarian!) is that some veggie

dishes seem bland to them because of the absence of meat and, therefore,

meat flavouring and grease. So it's a big challenge to scrounge around for

recipes that would actually satisfy their palettes. This has been one of the

best so far!

 

I'll stop blabbing now. :-)

 

Happy cooking!

 

~Emmy~

 

Savory Vegetable Cheesecake

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Serving size: 6 or 8.

 

 

3 packed cups coarsely-grated cucumber

A little salt

A little oil for the pan

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup grated carrot

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

5 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cups ricotta or cottage cheese

1 packed cup grated mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

3 beaten eggs

Black pepper to taste

2 medium-sized tomatoes, sliced into rounds, with each round

sliced in half

 

 

1) Place the grated cucumber in a colander over a sink. Salt

lightly and let stand for 15 minutes, then squeeze out all

of the excess moisture.

2) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly oil the

bottom of a 9 " springform pan.

3) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven.

Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and sauté over medium heat

for about 5 minutes.

4) Add cucumber, carrot, flour and dried herbs. Cook, stirring,

over medium heat for about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.

5) Stir in garlic, parsley and lemon juice.

6) Place cheeses and eggs in a large bowl, and beat vigorously

for a minute or two. Add vegetable mixture and mix well.

7) Season to taste with black pepper and adjust salt if

necessary.

8) Transfer mixture to the prepared pan. Arrange the tomato slice

halves in a lovely pattern on the top and sprinkle with bread

crumbs.

 

Bake in center of oven for 50 minutes, and cool for at least

20 minutes before removing sides of the pan. Serve at any

temperature.

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