The Fridge-Cleaning Souffle

It's habitually been the job of a stir-fry or pasta sauce to make something out of the vegetables I tend to ignore in the back of the refrigerator. Recently I've felt compelled to seek more interesting avenues for the consumption of random produce. Salads are out — squash salad will never sound appetizing to me. For one reason or another I find omelets too strange for dinner, even though they share most of their qualities with what I've ultimately arrived at as a solution.

I've found souffles surprisingly forgiving despite the overwhelming, and I'm guessing uncorroborated, evidence that claims otherwise. They can be constructed out of almost anything that lies in the fridge, even a lone piece of ham that narrowly avoided yesterday's sandwich. I happened to go for spinach and asparagus for this attempt, which I cooked the most reasonable way possible. The only requirement is that the pieces don't end up being too large.

On the topic of meat: I have apparently become a weekday vegetarian simply because buying meat is a huge hassle for me. Probably this is better for me and the average ruminant, though I have no qualms suspending this behavior when the opportunity presents itself. I think being mostly vegetarian is reasonable, and I'm annoyed by the oft-touted idea that it's a binary issue.

The following is enough for four people if accompanied by other dishes — note that it's one egg per person, at least for my abnormally large eggs.

Asparagus and Spinach Souffle

For the Bechamel

• 2 1/2 Tbs. Butter
• 3 Tbs All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Hot Milk
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Paprika
• Few Grinds Pepper
• 4 Eggs, separated
• 1/4 Cup Grated Cheese (Swiss/Gouda/Parmesan)

For the Random Filling

• 1 Bunch Spinach, Reduced to Smaller Pieces
• 1 Bunch Asparagus, Similarly Mangled
• 1 Shallot, Minced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Glugs Olive Oil

1. Combine flour and butter in medium saucepan on medium-low heat and stir frequently until a light-brown hue becomes apparent.
2. Briskly whisk in cup of hot milk, making sure to work out all lumps. Take off-heat if feeling rushed. Stir until a very thick consistency is reached, something along the lines of soft-serve ice-cream. Kill heat and whisk in salt, paprika, and pepper. Let cool until it won't burn you.
3. Preheat oven to 400F
4. Saute shallot and asparagus in an olive-oiled large pan until tender. Add garlic and a tablespoon or two of water before adding spinach. Cover to steam spinach, stir if necessary. Remove from heat once everything is soft.
5. Incorporate egg yolks and cheese into milk concoction, followed by the vegetable matter.
6. Beat egg whites to soft peaks and fold gently into the the milk mixture.
7. Butter souffle ramekins, Pyrex measuring cups (it works, I tried it), or similar vessels and pour mixture to rim. Depending on the size of the containers used a different number will be required — I used 3 ramekins and one Pyrex measuring cup. Pop into oven and turn down to 375F after a few minutes. Cook until tops are golden-brown and the mixture has set (won't jiggle when shaken gently), maybe 25 minutes.

NB: For added height the adventurous can put the oven on broil to start and blast the souffles for a very short length of time — just enough to caramelize the tops a bit. Turn heat down to 375F and continue to cook as usual. Nominally the moisture is locked in and helps push up the souffle.

May leftovers impress your friends.