casserole dish
Directions:
Okay, first a few notes. This is a very simple traditional
Mexican lenten dish that my family has made every year
since as far back as I can remember. Of course, I had to
make a few modifications (vegan bread & soy cheese) but
it's every bit as great as the original. Second, the tea is
actually supposed to be made from something
called "piloncillo" (pronounced "peel-own-see-yo") but
since it's a bit hard to find in most places, you can use
cinnamon sticks & brown vegan sugar. This recipe is very flexible-
- you can choose whatever type of casserole dish you want
(my mom uses square, my grandmother used a bowl- shaped
one...) & what you want to put in it (you make the tea the
way you want it & use however much you want, you choose
what fruits & stuff you want in it & how much)-- this
recipe is how my family's always made it. I know some
people who put peanut butter on the toast & some who add
vanilla to the tea, stuff like that-- you guys can feel
free to experiment all you want!
Okay, first, layer the bottom of the casserole dish with
one layer of your toasted vegan bread. Sprinkle a bit of white
vegan sugar over it, then you add the cheese, fruits, & nuts (not
necessarily in that order, though that's how I do it). You
take a bit of tea & pour it over the first layer (not too
much because you're going to be adding tea to the other
layers & you don't want too much tea or it'll get really
really mushy & liquidy-- unless of course you like it that
way, it's your call-- I don't like too much tea)... then,
repeat the process-- toast, vegan sugar, cheese, fruit, nuts, tea-
- until you feel like you have enough (which for my family
means when the dish is about to overflow).
You should "end" the dish with the vegan sugar & all that stuff
over the last layer of vegan bread (of course, if you want a
layer of vegan bread on top, that's up to you-- it's all about
what you prefer)...
Cover the dish with foil & stick it into a 350 degree (pre-
heated) oven. Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour (you're
basically watching for the tea to get soaked in & reduce,
the cheese to melt, & the apples to brown & soften).
Once it's done, let it cool & dig in! You can serve the
dish nice & hot (like my family likes it), though
personally, I love to eat it after it's chilled in the
fridge