Trendy Tasty Rice Bowl

We start every year pledging to be healthier and stronger and somehow a couple months in we find ourselves back living in bacon city. I am the cook. I am probably to blame. I fall back on what I know and, I guess, take the easy way to flavorful foods.
I can't say this year will be different but I was encouraged by a slew of interesting, grain based and vaguely Japanese recipes in the January issue of every food magazine I read so I decided a little pantry update and lighter cooking might just be in order -- for now.
Clearly there are more healthful and interesting grains but tonight, not yet ready to brave the grocery store, I started with rice -- plain old white rice. I love it. Then I went searching through the fridge for what might add color and texture.
A little bit of leftover broccoli, a little past it's prime, was quickly boiled and dressed with a tiny drizzle of sesame oil. Butternut squash, sitting on the counter since I didn't serve them for Christmas dinner, was sweet and gingery. I quickly fried several slices of ginger in canola oil, added in the squash cut in 1 1/2" pieces,  1/2 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of sugar (okay not quite the healthful star here but it is very Japanese) and 1/2 cup of water. I brought the liquid to a boil, covered the pot, reduced the heat to medium low and let the squash cook for about 10 minutes until tender.
With rice in the rice cooker, squash and broccoli cooked and set aside to be served room temperature on hot rice, I got a little more ambitious.
Every rice bowl (and Japanese meal) needs something pickled and a sauce. I quickly combined 1 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 TB of sugar, a pinch of salt and ground chile and let celery sticks and carrot rounds soak in that brine for about 1/2 hour. Easy. I'd have used a little lemon zest if I'd had any. For the sauce I mixed 1 TB tahini, 1 TB honey and 1 TB soy sauce with 1 tsp sesame oil. Ready. All that was left was to put it all together -- almost.
When it came time for dinner I cooked a couple eggs seasoned with soy sauce and a touch of sake into a flat omelette that I rolled and cut into slices over one side of the rice. Facing that a bit of sautéed chicken -- leftover legs and wings I tucked in the freezer after a holiday season Hainanese chicken dinner.
I wasn't too sure what to expect when James sat down to dinner. But, he seemed pleased by the lighter style and lighter plate.
It's fun to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. Not a bad way to cook in 2016.

A Peck Of Peppers

James went over to bring a jar of jam to our neighbors and came back with a huge bag of peppers. Our neighbor is an amazing and prolific gardener, and a very generous one.
Looking into that bag I heard one thing -- piperade.
Piperade is a Basque dish of sautéed peppers flavored with ham and spiked with Piment d'Espelette the beloved spicy pepper (used dried) cultivated in the Basque region of Southern France. Piperade is traditionally flavored with Bayonne ham, a dried pork product (like prosciutto) often flavored with the same spicy paprika. Not quite traditional, for ours instead of substituting prosciutto I went for rich flavorful Spanish chorizo which I sautéed in olive oil to start the dish. Then I added in 2 sliced onions, 4 minced cloves of garlic, 1 bay leaf, about 6 sprigs of thyme and a healthy sprinkle of Piment d'Espelette over medium heat. When the onions were very soft I added in  thinly sliced green peppers and red peppers, 3 each. I covered the pan, turned down the heat and let the peppers soften. After about 10 minutes I added 2 large handfuls of cherry tomatoes sliced in half. Now when Julia Child made her piperade she peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes to add to the flavorful sauce. The last thing I feel like doing on a bright summer day is boiling water and peeling tomatoes so I tossed in the cherries, covered the pan and let them soften for another couple minutes. Though Julia served her piperade over lovely roasted or poached chicken to make ours a meal I added a couple eggs into the broth and covered the pan for just a couple minutes until they were set.
Poached eggs with piperade a summery dish to celebrate our local peppers.

Last Minute Frittata

"Honey have you had any thoughts about dinner," James asked form the other room. Honestly I hadn't. "It is 7:30," he went on to explain.
Drat these sunshiney long days. I lost track of time and was facing the clock.
Eggs! A perfect night for eggs.
Having just made a trip to the farmers market I started tossing chopped vegetables into a pan with olive oil and garlic and chunks of Italian sausage. When the vegetables were soft and the sausage cooked through I poured in a bowl of eggs beaten with S&P, shreds of parmesan cheese, and cubes of fresh mozzarella I happened to have in the fridge. I left the pan on the stove just long enough for the eggs to set around the edges and then popped the skillet into the oven to quickly broil the top.
No idea at 7:30, dinner on the table by 8 thanks to (as the commercial says) the incredible, edible egg.

Eggs Eggs Eggs

I always feel just a bit guilty when I make eggs for dinner. Somehow feels like I am cheating James just a bit. In other countries where eggs are so firmly associated with breakfast they have no such qualms. Eggs are just another delicious versatile protein. I have to move to that mindset, especially in the spring when our girls are working overtime. Tonight I made a step with an Italian dish called eggs in purgatory -- fresh eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. Perfect with a bowl of creamy polenta and crisp parmesan toasts.

Spaghetti Pie

I don't remember when I made the spaghetti that produced the leftovers for this dish. I do remember James thought it was too spicy and shied away from the remainder in the fridge. I knew I could save it. Though it may seem like a homespun recipe from Betty Crocker or Taste of Home (not that there is anything wrong with that) spaghetti omelettes are  100% authentic Italian, a common home dish especially in the South.
Basically any leftover spaghetti will do -- with sauce or without. I prefer the sauced versions. Take your  leftovers and add eggs (as many as you need to give substance and structure to your batter) and grated cheese. Parmesan is a good choice but so is pecorino or any hard cheese you may like. Heat olive oil in a pan and layer in half of your spaghetti mixture. Top the spaghetti with sliced melting cheese (mozzarella or fontina) and bits of salami or prosciutto if you like and fry until crisp on the bottom. It is a bit of a maneuver to turn these heavy omelettes but with an extra plate and a little determination you can slide or flip your omelette (a frittata they would say in Italy) and return t to the skillet to cook through.
I've seen plenty of recipes where the melting cheese goes on top and the frittata is finished in the oven. At our house the cheese is a surprise in the middle and the outside edges are crispy and delicious. Viva Italia!

Eggs Everyday

Our sweet little yellow hens were slow starters but now we're getting 2 or 3 eggs everyday. When a little time goes by without baking of a batch of ice cream the eggs tend to pile up. So we're always looking for something new to do with our beautiful orange yolked super fresh backyard eggs.
Today I looked around the fridge and cabinets for ingredients and stirred up a farm fresh scramble of prosciutto, salami, onions, fingerling potatoes and creamy goat cheese.

Gone So Long

I've been away so long. I am out of practice, to say the least. I left home just after Thanksgiving thinking it would be a day or maybe two. Work happens, life happens, family happens and here I am nearly a month later just venturing back into my little kitchen.
I decided to start small. A quick pasta.
Our "girls" have been working so we have plenty of eggs. Salami lasts quite a while so we have a bit to add for flavor into this make-shift carbonara. While the pasta boiled I sautéed chunks of salami, garlic and chili peppers in olive oil until the pork was just crisped and the oil flavored with the cured meat's spices. Next I beat a couple eggs and a small handful of grated parmesan cheese with plenty of cracked black pepper.
I poured the hot drained pasta back into the pot along with the salami mixture, eggs and a splash of pasta cooking water. With just a few minutes of vigorous stirring those separate ingredients came together to a creamy, cheesy sauce.
Dinner is back.

Spanish Tortilla

Eggs for dinner.
Found in every tapas bar in Spain, the Spanish Tortilla is nothing like the more familiar to Americans Mexican breadstuff. It is a thick slow cooked omelette most often chock full of olive oil fried potatoes. I've never made one before but I've eaten plenty of them. Eggs just seemed like the right thing for dinner but with the oven still out of commission no frittatas or soufflés for us.  A stove top treat, a tortilla (equally good warm or at room temperature) seemed right -- and something a little new for James.
First I fried thin potato and onion slices in a prodigious amount of olive oil at medium heat -- a very slow bubble so the potatoes cook (and soak in the oil) but don't brown or crisp. Then you drain the potatoes and add them to 8 eggs beaten with salt and pepper. I should have had a non-stick pan for this adventure but tortillas have been everyday fare in spin long before Tfal so I forged ahead. I heavily slicked the bottom of the skillet with oil and poured in the egg mixture. The tortilla cooked for about 5 minutes -- again at medium heat -- until the bottom and edges were firm. Now the tricky part and the action that has kept me from trying my own tortilla for literally years now. First you slide the egg and potato cake onto a waiting plate (I could have used a bigger plate). Then using a second plate you flip the tortilla over so the less cooked side is down. Add more oil (the reserved olive oil form frying the potatoes) to the pan and slide your potato masterpiece back in to cook on the bottom.
I should have let my tortilla brown a little more to be truly authentic but for a fairly quick weeknight dinner and a first try -- not too bad.

Potatoes and Eggs

Leftover sliced potatoes from those homemade chips and a dozen eggs turned into this quick breakfast. I stared a pan with prosciutto, garlic, onions and olive oil, added in the thinly sliced potatoes  -- along with paprika, oregano, and thyme -- and, with a lid, let the potatoes cook until tender. A couple minutes uncovered gave the potatoes time to crisp and two farm fresh eggs time to just set in the flavorful olive oil.

Just Like A Roman Grandmother

Hot soup for a scratchy throat. I came home with a bit of a cough. James still isn't feeling 100 percent. Seemed like a good night for soup -- especially since I had three bottles of homemade, rich, delicious sock in the freezer.
Stracciatella from the Italian stracciato meaning ragged or torn apart is used to describe not only this comforting Roman-style soup, but also (remember this one it comes in handy) chocolate chip ice cream. In Italy chocolate chip gelato is, instead of our chips, more like threads of melted chocolate frozen into the cream base. In stracciatella the soup, eggs take on that shredded look. Though more traditional versions are nothing more than stock, eggs, parmesan cheese (sometimes semolina) and parsley, I added a handful of spinach and a scoop of rice for a more filling (less convalescent) supper.
To make your own version bring broth to a boil and add in several handfuls of spinach. Let the soup with the greens simmer for just a minute and then stir in eggs beaten with grated parmesan cheese and S&P. Some people, like Italian super chef Mario Batali, add 1 TB of semolina per egg (2 cups of broth per egg overall) and some cold stock to the beaten eggs before adding to boiling broth and finish by whisking for 3 to 4 minutes). I just stirred in the eggs and let the shreds form where they may for a light supper soup topped with grated cheese.

Stepped Off The Plane And Into The Kitchen

Stumbling in the door with luggage, I started a pot of water going for pasta. No matter what is in the house I can always come up with spaghetti.
Rustling through the fridge I found odds and ends in a couple packages of prosciutto, a container of big creamy Corona beans I left for James to eat while I was gone, and a piquant Italian cheese coated in rosemary I brought home from Costco a little while back.
I started heating the prosciutto in a pan with garlic, olive oil, chili peppers, and oregano. When the pork started to crisp I tossed in the drained beans and a splash of white wine. I left that mixture simmer while the spaghetti cooked. I added the drains pasta to the bean mixture along with knob of butter, a splash of cooking water, and plenty of that grated cheese and stirred everything around to a make--shift sauce and tope fit all with a lightly fried egg (Foggy's been busy while I've been gone).

It All Started With A Broken Egg

Driving back into town for the ingredient I forgot (I promised to make pickled vegetables for my neighbor's party) it was very close to dinnertime and I had no idea what we were having. Lately I have had a hard time figuring out what to make for dinner and today was no different. Closer and closer to dinner hour it crept with nothing started. Suddenly, while driving to the store,  I thought of an egg I broke and tucked away in a plastic container in the fridge. Broken egg, boiled pasta . . . Carbonara.
Dinner from nothing, our favorite game.
In a small frying pan I sautéed pancetta, onions, garlic and crushed red peppers while the pasta water boiled. I quickly drained the spaghetti and put it back in the still warm pot along with the crisp pancetta mixture along with 1 beaten egg mixed with a splash of milk and grated parmesan cheese. I stirred everything together and the residual heat cooked the egg just enough to fashion a creamy, rich, ready in a minute sauce.

Last Minute Frittata

I got home late last night. I've been out of town for more than a week.
"As soon as you're around I get hungry," James said while I was looking in the bare fridge for something to eat.
"How about scrambled eggs?"
"Do you have ingredients for that?" James shot back.
Going one better I turned what we did have -- eggs, the last bits of several cheeses, a box of mushrooms on it's last legs, and a bag of almost too old spinach into a late night, last minute frittata.
Broiled omelettes at bedtime.

Quick Pesto Spaghetti

A pile of radishes in the vegetable drawer -- green too bright and fresh to toss into the compost. I whipped up a batch of radish green (and a bit of spinach since I didn't have that many radishes) pesto. Greens, almonds, parmesan cheese, S&P, and olive oil whirled into a paste in the food processor. I wasn't sure what to do with it (I did spread some on a sandwich), But I knew it would come in handy.
Tonight when I looked into what may have been our emptiest fridge ever (I've been out of town for the last 4 nights) I spied that pesto and dinner was made.
I boiled up some of James' favorite spaghetti. Mixed in some pesto and a splash of the pasta cooking water and topped the dish with a pair of olive oil poached eggs. A dash of chili flakes and a sprinkle of peppery cheese and dinner was served. Something easy for a saturday night.

Afternoon Pintxos: Bar Ledesma

Walking back towards the hotel I turned onto a popular pedestrian side street filled with bars and cafes and people. The sign out front advertised meatballs, and hake ( a popular local fish served with parsley sauce). Maybe it's time for something not on a slice of bread, I thought.
It was not to be. At nearly 5 pm the kitchen was still closed and only cold pintxos (some warmed in a microwave upon request) dishes were being offered. Dinner starts late here in Spain. Restaurants open at 8 or 8:30 pm so there'd be no reason to have a cook on much earlier I reasoned as I pointed towards a wedge of tortilla on a slice of bread, sticking with localtradition.

Spanish tortilla, not at all like the familiar Mexican version is not a bread but a thick type of open-faced omelette (really more like a skillet baked egg cake -- no flour) usually filled with potatoes, but chorizo, peppers, mushrooms and more are often found. Whatever the filling the dish is a Spanish constant. At every bar, every restaurant, every home, every meal, every snack -- tortillas are offered and taken. Customers debate where to find the best.

Basically thinly sliced potatoes (try 3-4 medium) and a medium onion (also sliced) are sautéed (some cooks dice the potatoes which to me is not as nice a texture) without browning in a good quantity of olive oil until softened. The potatoes, without the excess oil, are added to beaten eggs (maybe 6 for an 8 to 10 inch non stick pan) and the whole mixture is added back to the skillet -- freshly slicked with olive oil -- over medium heat. As the edges just start to firm the heat is reduced to medium low for about 5 minutes to insure a creamy texture. Turning this egg masterpiece takes practice. In Spanish style the entire cake (the top s likely still runny) is slid off to a plate, inverted onto a second plate, and coaxed back into the frying pan -- again coated with olive oil. Tortillas can be eaten warm but most often are served at room temperature. An all day snack.

Eggs For Saturday Dinner

Gone so long and a simple dinner of softly poached (well actually steamed with just a little water, olive oil, and topped with cheese) eggs with an arugula salad.

Eggs Poached In Tomato Sauce

The internet recipe I found said this dish is a favorite in Israel. Shakshuka is very much like "eggs in purgatory" favored by the Italians (and me) but with the addition of chick peas and feta cheese -- two of my favorite ingredients and foods. Basically you start the dish by making a spicy tomato sauce. Onions, garlic an a chopped jalapeno go into a pan of olive oil to sauté for about 8 minutes. Those aromatics are followed by a drained can of chick peas, paprika and cumin and another 2 minutes of sautéing. Next you add in a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes with their juice and let the pan simmer for 15 minutes. Dot the sauce with crumbled feta cheese and nestle 6 - 8 eggs into the sauce before popping the frying pan into a 425º over for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving with warm bread.

Cream "Poached" Eggs

Not quite coddled and not quite poached, these are, quite frankly, eggs of my own invention. Delicate and creamy with salty bits of prosciutto. In a small non-stick pan I sautéed bits of prosciutto followed by a handful of fresh spinach in olive oil and butter over medium heat. Next I cracked in two yard fresh eggs. I covered the eggs with a handful of shredded peppered cheddar cheese and a healthy drizzle of fresh cream. After a sprinkle of salt I covered the pan and let it simmer away (medium low heat) for about 5 minutes until the whites of the eggs were just set and the cheese melted. Much easier than boiling water and vinegar these almost poached eggs will be topping salads (with just water and olive oil in the cooking pan) and English muffins around here from now on.

I Love Cheese, Cheese Doesn't Love Me

Lets face it, cheese is the perfect food. It's protein rich, creamy, tasty, comforting. It melts and grates and spreads. It is the all purpose seasoning.

I eat too much cheese. That was pointed out, in not such direct terms, at my annual physical. Of course I can't put all the blame on cheese. I'm sure beef and butter and even our beloved eggs (yummm roast beef sandwich with butter and cheese) share some of the fault, but cheese is my go to food. When I'm looking for a snack or feeling low or craving something I can't quite describe, I turn to cheese. My lab results are showing the effects of my illicit love.

Among his other, many genetic gifts James does not have the same high marks (not a test you really want a high score in). That combined with his generally less passionate relationship with edibles means he can top this healthy dinner of roasted vegetables and brown rice with an olive oil fried egg whereas I opted for oven-roasted tomatoes.

Pesto Spaghetti

Another use for the sauce of the summer -- of the year really. I quickly tossed hot, drained spaghetti with arugula pesto and topped the dish with a loose, olive oil fried egg so James could let the slightly runny yolk add richness to the sauce.