Friday, August 18, 2006

Layered Vegetable Cob Loaf Recipe


This crusty cob loaf is filled with layers of tender vegetables and two kinds of cheese. This recipe is suitable for vegetarians; if you will only be serving meat-eaters, layers of cooked chicken or ham could be added to the cob. We like to serve this cob warm but it is also nice cold or at room temperature.

You will need about half a medium butternut pumpkin, two large zucchini and a large capsicum for this recipe.

Serves 8.

270g red capsicum
550g peeled butternut pumpkin
2 tablespoons oil
350g zucchini, ends removed
250g mushrooms
1 round cob loaf, unsliced (about 20cm in diameter)
50g baby spinach leaves
150g feta cheese, crumbled or sliced
44g (1/2 cup) parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
2-3 tablespoons pesto (we used sundried tomato pesto)
Salt and pepper

Cut capsicum into quarters and remove seeds and membrane. Place under a very hot grill, skin side up, until most of the skin has blackened. Remove from grill, place in a small bowl, cover and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Cut pumpkin into 1/2cm slices. Place on a baking tray, toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Turn the pumpkin once during the cooking time. Set pumpkin aside to cool.

Slice zucchini lengthwise into pieces 1/2cm thick. Cut mushrooms into 1/2cm thick slices. Toss zucchini and mushroom with salt, pepper and remaining tablespoon of oil. Grill or pan fry until vegetables are golden and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Remove charred skin from capsicum. Cut capsicum into strips.

Cut a ‘lid’ from the top of cob loaf and set aside. Remove most of the bread from inside the loaf, leaving a 2cm shell. Spread the inside of the loaf and lid with pesto.

Use about half of the pumpkin slices to line the base of the cob, pressing down firmly. Create layers with half of each of the remaining vegetables. Top with half the feta and parmesan.

Repeat the layers, pressing firmly, until all the ingredients have been used, or the cob is full. Replace the lid and tightly wrap the loaf in aluminium foil. Place cob on a large plate and top with an unturned plate. Place something heavy on the top plate to weigh the loaf down. Refrigerate for at least a few hours to allow the loaf to consolidate.

If serving the cob hot, heat the foil-wrapped loaf in a moderate oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 30 to 40 minutes.

If serving cold, remove the foil and place cob on an oven tray. Bake in a very hot oven (220 degrees Celsius) for 5 minutes to crisp the crust. Cut into wedges to serve.
© www.exclusivelyfood.com.au


9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This site is one of the best I've visited. Your recipes are great using everyday ingredients already in the pantry or easily purchased without having to source specialty shops. The pictures are stunning showing exactly what to expect with ideas of how to present - very important for the novice. I'm very happy to have logged on to this site. Please continue to provide your inspiration, I'm sure many cooks will enjoy every success from your recipes.
Thanks

27/6/07 9:24 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this is one of the best websites i have come across it has awsome pictures and easy steps to follow...this is so yummy and a great winner with the family when they just pop in..if you know what i mean!...

10/7/07 10:16 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This was great. We took it to a picnic and everyone loved it. I did not heat it but the leftovers we had the next day (i reheated in the oven) and they tasted great.

I loved that you could prepare it the night before.

3/9/07 7:50 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

can this be cut into slices and frozen? or frozen whole?

24/10/07 3:10 am  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

Although we have never frozen the cob loaf we don't think it would be suitable. When the vegetables defrost they might exude water and make the bread a bit soggy.

25/10/07 7:19 pm  
Blogger BeeBuzz said...

I do agree with Anomymous comment about your website.I feel the same.

I tried some of your recipes, sometime I follow directly and sometime I change some ingredient what we eat at home.

Thank you for make a good site.

9/4/09 1:30 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This looks delicious! I'm just wondering what would be a substitute for the butternut pumpkin?

17/11/10 2:09 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

You could replace the pumpkin with sweet potato or eggplant.

22/11/10 5:03 pm  
Blogger SuiGeNeRiS Speaks said...

I used sweet potato, capsicum, eggplant and spinach leaves...with pizza sauce instead of pesto (what I had in the fridge).....it was divine!!! Will definite make again and again!!

16/10/11 10:05 am  

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