Egg Wisdom

Your eggs need to be as fresh as possible if you want fried or poached eggs. For boiled eggs that you wish to peel, it is best to use eggs that are about a week old as the shell and skin are really difficult to peel off on fresh eggs. ….
If you are scrambling your eggs or making an omelette, eggs can be up to a week old. For baked dishes, eggs can be older than a week. If you want to separate the yolks and the whites to make meringues, eggs are best a few days old as the whites whisk up better if not too fresh.

Scallion Pancake-Omelet

After a stretch of eating out for a while, Mister and I made a pact to not eat out for the rest of the week. We have some nice Easter leftovers in the fridge (ate the ricotta, have NOW polished off all the ham, half of a rice pie, a fair amount of kielbasa, half a jar of horseradish and beets, a full paska bread...) and I'd been craving a ham omelet. However, surprise surprise, all those food blogs that I read have seeped into my brain and this little dish from Maangchi worked its way into my thoughts.

Since I'd noticed last week an abundance of chives growing wild by the train, I figured I'd scoop them up in lieu of the single plant I have out back. I wound up collecting a fair amount of chives, and a handful each of plantains and dandelion greens. Washed them all well, and concocted this delicious recipe:

Scallion Pancake-Omelet
Filling:

-- 2 c. of greens, roughly chopped
-- 1 c. of ham, diced

Batter

-- 1/2 c. water
-- 1/2 c. flour
-- dash of soy sauce
-- 1 tsp. sugar
-- 4 eggs

Sauce

-- 2 Tbs. soy sauce
-- 1 Tbs. rice vinegar
-- 1 tsp. sugar or honey
-- chopped onion (I used a little bit of the chives)
-- chopped green or red chili peppers (I used dried red pepper)
-- 1 tsp. roasted sesame seeds *optional

Heat frying pan. Prep filling and mix batter. When pan is hot, pour 3 Tbs. oil in. Throw the greens in, and the ham on top. As quickly as possibly, pour the batter over the entire thing. Tilt the pan around to cover all of the greens. After a couple of minutes, when the bottom is browned, flip the pancake. After a few more minutes, when the bottom is browned, flip the pancake again and cook for 1 min more before serving.



I served this with two potatoes worth of home fries and a drizzle of sauce on top.

Amazing Brekkie!

So yet again, I have cause to say 'I love Ree Drummond.' The most recent reason? This recipe. I have had a sad realization recently folks. Although I still love Heidi Swanson as much as ever, when I need to make something, I turn to P-Dub first. And that's the gospel truth.

But on with the recipe! I took photos (because I love Ree Drummond so much I want to be her -- including her awesome photo recipes :-P).



Fry how ever many eggs you want to eat. I made two.



When it's time, flip the eggs. Please learn to flip eggs better than I can. When I made this recipe THIS morning (as opposed to yesterday's), I was doing so poorly that Mister had to come rescue me and "show me" how to flip eggs properly. I swear, it's not fair how much better he is with a spatula than I!

Anyways. Eggs are flipped. Here comes the fun part!



See that salsa up there? That's coming up next!



Put a good sized glop of salsa on each egg. I did it in a bit of a line, so as not to have it want to fall off the egg.



Cabot Private Stock Cheddar. If you live in a world without Cabot, I weep for you.



Put a couple of slices of cheddar on those eggs! Then eat a couple of slices while you're at it. Also, throw another layer of salsa on there.



Because I cannot actually take proper pictures, let me tell you what those cheeses are. The one with no label is Dragone Whole Milk Mozzarella, and the one that you can't read the label is a Madrigal, which is very similar to a baby-swiss.



I only put one thin slice of the Madrigal, and then two good size slices of Mozz. on top of that (as I'm a wimp when it comes to cheeses other than cheddar or mozzarella).

You're then going to cover the eggs, turn the heat to low/med-low and forget to take a picture. You want the cheese to melt and the eggs to finish cooking. If your eggs take a little longer than just melted cheese point, there's no harm in the cheese melting a little farther onto the pan. Nom nom!



And there we have it. The most delicious breakfast that I've had in a while. It doesn't even have bacon! Although now that I said that, I'm thinking of how bacon and toast would make this the best breakfast sandwich ever...

Saving Some Links

Louisa May Alcott's Apple Slump
Medieval Apple Tart
Random Apple Recipes
Basic Dessert Egg Rolls
Eat Wild -- a site to help find grass fed meats and eggs
Growing Herbs for the Medicine Cabinet
Eating Out of Your Pantry

Just cleaning up my browser!

Follow-up of Brunch -- Strata and Spicy Apple Dumplings

So J and her roommate M came over for brunch. (Of the massive horde that I invite... sheesh.) Due to my loving to work last minute coupled with their arrival 10 minutes early, even the coffee wasn't ready (but the kettle was already on the stove! ... and things were ready in 10 mins).

As I had to be at home from 8-12 for the RCN guy to show up (if he'd shown up at 8 I was going to punch him), I had to be here early. But, as it was RCN that was showing up, our internet was down. And where did I post all of those lovely recipes I wanted to try? My blog. Where did I leave the book they came from? Mister's house.

Luckily, I typed all of the damn things in, so remembered the basics of what I wanted.

Half of it turned out as delicious as I wanted. The other half... I'll explain.

Based upon my half remembered Basic Breakfast Strata.
Strata Recipe:

Ingredients:
-- ground pork
-- bread (preferably day old, but I dried out regular bread)
-- garlic
-- oil
-- spices
-- 6 eggs
-- milk
-- 8 oz. block of cheddar cheese

I fried the pork with garlic and spices until appropriately browned. In a greased casserole dish, layer 1/3 of your bread in torn up bits. Add a layer of half of the sausage. Add 1/3 of the cheese. Another 1/3 of bread. The second half of sausage. Another 1/3 of cheese. Final 1/3 of bread. Leave final 1/3 of cheese off. Mix eggs with milk, and VERY VERY VERY SLOWLY pour the egg/milk mix over your casserole, allowing it to soak in everywhere (if you don't pour slowly, it bounces off the bread and onto the counter. Don't ask how I know). Let sit for an hour. Add final layer of cheese, and bake in 375F for close to an hour, or until done.

Verdict? Delicious.

Based upon my staring at this recipe a lot -- I looked up a recipe for the dough in the King Arthur Flour's Baking Companion.
Spicy Apple Dumpling Recipe(Picture above):

-- 2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
-- sugar
-- vanilla
-- choc. chips
-- cinnamon
-- garam masala
-- 2 c. flour (+ more for rolling out)
-- 2 tsp. baking powder
-- 1/2 tsp. salt
-- 2/3 c. shortening
-- 1/2 c. milk

In a med. sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, blend in shortening until crumbly. Stir in milk and form a soft dough. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic, and refridgerate it while preparing apples.

Prepare apples as listed above. Throw in a bowl with a bunch of sugar, and, remembering that Garam Masala is cinnamon and a few other spices, toss a boat-load in and consider it a job done. Mix, and realize apples are spicier than an apple has a right to be. Throw in vanilla, cinnamon, more sugar and finally, chocolate chips in an endeavor to fix said spicy apples. Consider it as good as it's gonna get.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Roll out small balls of dough (<2" diameter in ball form). Place a spoonful of apple mix in the middle, and fold dough over into little purse-shapes. Place dumplings seam side down on a greased pan.

Bake for 45-50 mins.

Verdict? Spicy. I keep trying to convince Mister to come over and eat them. He's entrenched at his apartment, and not budging (nor am I being a sweetie and bringing them to him).


All in all, a fun morning drinking coffee and discussing musicals and odd bits of youtube.

Tortilla Espanola a.k.a. Potato Omelet

Ingredients:
-- 2 Tbs. + 1/4 c. olive oil
-- 1 large onion (~8 oz.), sliced 1/8" thick
-- 1 lbs. red-skinned potatoes, peeled and c ut into 1/8" slices
-- 6 large eggs
-- salt and pepper

Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onions are soft and golden, reducing the heat as they cook, about 20 mins. Remove to a large bowl. Heat in the same skillet 1/4 c. olive oil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until golden brown, 10-12 mins. Reduce heat to med.-high if the oil gets too hot and smoky. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set aside the pan with the oil in it.

Add to the onions eggs, 1/2 tsp. salt and black pepper to taste. Sprinkle the potoates with salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes to the egg mix, and toss to coat the slices well.

Return skillet to high heat to heat the remaining oil in the pan. When hot, add the egg mix and immediately reduce the heat to low. Let the omelet cook for 3-4 minutes, undisturbed, until the bottom is golden and the eggs are 2/3 - 3/4 set. Shake the pan from time to time to make sure the omelet does not stick.

Place a lightly oiled large heatproof plate upside down over the omelet and flip the skillet to turn the omelet over. Slide the omelet back into the pan to cook the second side. COok until golden and set, 2-3 mins. more. Shake the omelet loose from the pan and slide onto a clean plate. Cut into 6 wedges and serve hot or at room temp.

Serves 6


[taken from Joy of Cooking: All About Breakfast & Brunch by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker]

Savory Cheese and Herb-Filled Souffleed Omlet

Ingredients:
-- 4 large eggs, separated
-- 1-2 Tbs. butter
-- 2 Tbs. chopped herbs
-- 1/4 c. grated cheese
-- salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine and whisk until thick and light egg yolks, salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the yolk mix gently into the whites.

Melt butter in a 10" ovenproof skillet over med. heat. When the foam has subsided, pour the batter into the pan, spread evenly, and smooth the top. Shake the pan after a few seconds to discourage sticking and then cover the pan with a lid whose underside has been buttered to prevent sticking. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the cover and sprinkle the top of the omelet with the herbs and cheese.

Place the skillet in the oven until the top is set, 3-5 minutes. Either folk the omelet in half or slide it out onto a warmed plate and serve with tomato sauce or salsa.

Serves 4

[taken from Joy of Cooking: All About Breakfast & Brunch by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker]

Brunch on Saturday

So I have to be home from 8 am - noon on Saturday for the RCN guy. If he shows up at 8, I'm gonna pop him in the nose.

But I decided it would be a great idea to have a big brunch with girl friends. Looking at a breakfast cookbook, this is what made me drool:

[hmm... eggs in a basket...]
Savory Cheese and Herb-Filled Souffleed Omelet (pp. 32)
Tortilla Espanola a.k.a. Potato Omelet (pp. 33)
Basic Breakfast Strata (pp. 35)
Ham Steak with Red-Eye Gravy (pp. 39)
Pommes Anna (pp. 45)
Beignets (pp. 71)
Custard-Topped Spoon Bread (pp. 76)
Swedish Rice Pudding (pp. 79)
Grilled Bananas (pp. 89)
Buttermilk Crackling Corn Bread (pp. 109)
Sticky Buns (pp. 124)


So much looks good! I'll do a post to link each of these items, as they're tasty-looking.

I'll probably end up cooking an egg dish, a bread-like object, and perhaps a fruit and a potato dish. Looking forward to this Saturday!

OMG I'm in Love

I have never seen anything as amazing as this. Ree Drummond, I love you.

Random Food

So one of my goals has been to learn random cheap-ass meals. To that goal, I enlisted the help of an Indian friend and she taught me this awesome egg curry thing. I made her version of mushur daal last night (easy peasy folks). Thus far, I am finding cheap ass Indian food pretty easy.

A recent post on the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op has a great video for how to make Bi Bim Bop (which is Korean stir-fried rice). It looks really, really simple.

I'm coming the the conclusion that most food is pretty simple to do -- it just requires the effort of doing it! My other highly trained observation is that a lot of the difference between food styles is simply the exact way in which you cook it, and the seasoning/sauce.

If you'd handed me the ingredients that are used in any of the recipes above, more than likely, I'd throw it all in a pot together and call it done. Probably tasty too.

I guess what I'm doing in my quest for meals is not to learn recipes, but to gather procedures. Reading gardener's posts allows me to realize that glut is something I need to know how to deal with. Hopefully, I'll do ok.