Do you ever find a recipe tucked somewhere that you scribbled down and forgot about? This is one of them!I saw the boiling water and cashews listed in the first part of a file I saved and thought to myself, "What in the world starts with boiling water and cashews?" I opened the file (which I had neglected to name) and read the ingredients. Slowly it came back to me... from over 3 years ago! Yes, this recipe was supposed to be posted to my website to remind me to make it over three years ago. Life happens. But here it is. I believe it may have originally came from wholeliving. If you like 'gratins' like potatoes or carrot au gratin, perhaps this is one you want to try too.
Rutabaga Gratin
1 1/2 c boiling water
1 c raw cashews
1 T nutritional yeast
2 slices rustic bread, torn into small pieces or 1 cup prepare bread crumbs
2 small rutabagas (1 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into about 1/8-inch-thick slices
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 t chopped fresh thyme
4 t chopped fresh marjoram
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over cashews and let sit until they soften, at least 15 minutes and up to 30. Stir in yeast. Puree mixture in a blender on highest setting until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.
If you don't have prepared bread crumbs, make them by pulsing bread in a food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover bottom of a greased 8-inch-round baking dish with a single layer of rutabaga slices, overlapping edges and working in a circle. Season with salt, pepper, and some of the chopped herbs. Add another layer and season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Pour in about 1/3 of cashew cream -- enough to cover both layers. Continue until baking dish is full. Pour in remaining cashew cream. Sprinkle nutmeg over top layer. Toss breadcrumbs with oil in a small bowl. Top gratin with breadcrumbs.
Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until rutabagas are tender when pierced with a sharp knife and breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
