Mushroom and Tomato Bread Casserole

This easy casserole was inspired by a recipe that I found on the Whole Foods Market (a US organic and whole foods supermarket chain) web site. It's supposed to be a breakfast casserole but we haven't managed to have it for breakfast yet, I'm not organised enough. For the best results it really should be left in the fridge for a few hours or overnight so that the flavours infuse and the egg fully soaks into the bread which would mean making it the night before - way too much work! I've only managed to make it in the morning and cook it for dinner. But it's great as an evening meal. I've used two different cheeses on the top simply according to what I've had on hand and I think crumbled feta cheese works equally as well as shaved parmesan in my book but if you don't mind making a more calorific version by all means use Gruyere.

Ingredients:

2 slices dark rye bread
a drop of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
several large swiss brown mushrooms, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
splash of red wine vinegar
fresh oregano leaves
4 eggs
splash of low-fat milk
bunch of chives, chopped
small piece of parmesan, shaved

Method:

Tear the bread into pieces and press into the bottom of two individual casserole dishes; set aside.
Heat oil in a medium fry pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute, then add tomatoes, mushrooms, salt and pepper, vinegar, and oregano, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and liquid is thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Spoon tomato mixture evenly over the top of the bread in each casserole dish; set aside to let cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and chives. Pour evenly over tomato mixture. Cover casseroles and chill overnight in the fridge.

To cook, bring casseroles to room temperature and preheat oven to 180°C. Sprinkle casseroles with parmesan and bake, uncovered, until puffed, cooked through and cheese is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving in the casserole dish. Don't forget to warn unsuspecting diners that the dish is hot!