Italian-Style Savory Spinach-Stuffed French Toast

Savory Spinach-Stuffed French Toast--Italian Style

Italian-Style Savory Stuffed French Toast

by Victoria Challancin

Today I'll share four things about myself that you might not know:  I delight in surprises.  I am gaga over food history.  I am captivated by new recipe ideas. And I am thrilled with new challenges.  So, when you roll all these elements together, it is a definite recipe for exploration.  Toss in Italian flavors and it's a done deal.

I recently spied this recipe for a savory French toast on the Huffington Post and immediately knew I would have to try it.  Never having had a savory French toast before, I was instantly intrigued. Having a vegetarian husband, who I suspected would love it, was the final tipping point.

And then...then I did a little research fully expecting to find that French toast, known as pain perdu, or "lost bread" in actual French, was some modern spin on what was probably a Medieval recipe for eggy bread--a way to use leftover bread with whatever was on hand, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered the following:

A Few Facts about French Toast

• The earliest known reference to what we now call "French toast" is in Apicicus, a collection of recipes in Latin dating to the 4th or 5th century (I was dazzled by this bit of info!)
• A 14th-century German recipe existed for what is basically French toast which was called Arme Ritter or "poor knights" 
• During the Middle Ages in England a similar dish, called suppe dorate, was popular (Wikipedia notes that the English might have learned it from the Normans who had a dish like it called tostees dorees)
• Fifteenth century recipes existed in England for pain perdu (called "lost bread," which actually refers to the use of stale or "wasted" bread)
• Torrija is the Spanish version
• In France pain perdu can be enjoyed as a breakfast dish, a dessert, or an afternoon tea snack
• In Quebec it is called pain doré, or golden bread
• It is not only called pain perdubut also in France, Belgium, New Orleans, Acadiana (the Cajun country near New Orleans in Louisiana, USA), and the Congo

Ways to Enjoy French Toast:

• With powdered sugar, as do the French (I always felt rather elegant as a little girl eating my French toast with powdered sugar, the way my Mom always served it--now I know why!)
• With jam, marmalade, butter, nut butter, honey, Marmite, Vegemite, maple syrup, golden syrup, fruit-flavored syrup, molasses, apple sauce, baked beans, whipped cream, fruit, chocolate, Nutella, sugar, yogurt, bacon, treacle, cheese, ice cream, cooked meats, gravy, nuts
• And I tried not to gag over these two popular toppings:  ketchup and mayonnaise!
• In Hong Kong, the bread can be dipped in beaten egg or soy, fried, and served with butter and golden syrup or honey--and maybe a sweet filling is served between two slices of the toast
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla are common additions to the milk-egg mixture

Cook's Notes:  I loved, loved, loved this recipe, which is perfect for my vegetarian husband, who gave it a definite thumbs up.  It looked even better sprinkled with a touch of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese on the marinara sauce, which I added just before serving.  I used Newman's Own Organic Marinara Sauce, which was tasty and gave me all the excuse I needed not to make my own. It worked beautifully.

Recipe:  Italian-Style Stuffed French Toast

(Slightly adjusted from a Recipe from The Huffington Post, originally from Breakfast for Dinner by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 cups loosely-packed fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 loaf soft French bread, cut into 8 1 1/2-inch-thick slices

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon finely grated or pressed fresh garlic

2 cups marinara sauce, warmed

For the filling, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.  Let cool, then coarsely chop.

In a small bowl, combine chopped spinach mixture, ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest, basil, and oregano.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  With a small serrated knife, cut a horizontal pocket in the side of each slice of bread.  Gently fill with 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling and press closed.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic in a shallow baking dish.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Working with 1 slice of bread at a time, quickly dip into egg mixture, flippint to coat both sides.  Add to hot oil.  Repeat with 2 to 3 more slices, taking care not to overload pan.  Cook for 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Repeat with remaining slices, adding more oil as needed.  Transfer to plates, spoon warm marinara sauce over top, and serve.

Parting Shot:  More Cat Comfort

In a bowl of wooden spoons for sale in Essaouira, Morocco

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

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Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, México