Last Sunday, I decided to lay low, study – because I am a part-time student right now and cook and bake.

When the studying about the differences between a food essay and food memoir became too much for me, I decided to look through some really old recipes I have from days gone by.  I found a recipe from a British magazine called Good Food for Sundried Tomato, Asparagus & Olive Loaf.  This loaf is absolutely wonderful and has an abundance of different flavors that is almost a meal in itself.  What a find, I couldn’t wait to make it again.

The hard part of making this loaf was converting the measurements to the US system.  Through a little bit of trial and error I worked it out. 

To go with my loaf I also decided to pull out the big guns, aka my slow cooker, Betty to make Chicken Noodle Soup.  It has been far too long since me and Betty have done anything together.   

Sundried Tomato, Asparagus & Olive Loaf

½ Cup Olive Oil – I used the Arbequina California Olive Ranch
6-8 Asparagus stalks – chopped
2 Cups of flour
1tbsp Fresh thyme
½ tsp Salt
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
½ Cup of milk
Handful of pitted black olives – sliced
4oz Sundried Tomatoes  – cut into small pieces
4oz Gruyère, grated

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a bread/loaf pan. Cook the asparagus in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes, drain, and then cool quickly under cold running water. Pat dry.  Quick tip: if you slightly bend asparagus at the bottom end of the stalk it will just naturally snap where it is supposed to so you dont have to cut the bottom of the stems off.

Mix the flour and thyme with salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, and then add the eggs, milk and oil.  Stir the mixture to draw the flour into the centre. Beat for 1 minute to make a smooth batter.

Reserve six asparagus tips and a few olives. Add the remaining asparagus, tomatoes, olives and two-thirds of the cheese to the batter.  Pour into the tin, and then put the reserved asparagus and olives on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the cake feels firm to the touch and is golden and crusty on top. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, before turning out.

I enjoyed a slice of Sundried Tomato, Asparagus & Olive Loaf with some home made Chicken Noodle Soup.  It was a fabulous dinner!  I also enjoyed it on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday!