not just eggs

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Reposting a great egg Frittata recipe for Easter. enjoy....Picture a hot summer morning at the beach. Five kids, two parents, pitchers of water, seltzer and juice, and tons of sunblock. It must be noted here, that many members of The Family (as the larger group of my siblings and parents shall hence forth be known, no cult-association intended here) hated the beach.

Herewith, some back-story on The Family history with the beach. Joe, our Dad, does not care for the sun. Being one of those blonde-haired, non-olive-skinned Italians, it is understandable why. So, we would head out to Jones Beach, in Long Island, at the crack of 7AM on a potentially sunny Sunday. We'd get there by 7:30, eat pastries on the boardwalk and then set up on the beach. At that hour, there was always plenty of choice real estate available, so we were right near the shore. We were usually packing up sometime around lunch, to avoid the high sun and the traffic back to Queens.

Another major issue, were the jelly fish. I'm not sure when it happened, but I do recall as early as age six that Gran Fran had scared us witless regarding these slimy creatures. Walking on the edge of the ocean was fraught with looking for the telltale globs of jelly-fishness. Gran Fran was convinced that if we got within even five feet of one, we would come away stung. Needless to say, none of us ever got a sting, but we all steered well clear of the jelly fish. And, to this day, poor Iz has to deal with my ever-lasting fear, with calls of "You keeps your eyes open for jelly fish. You don't want to get stung!" I guess no matter what we do, we all eventually turn into our parents.

As the morning progressed, we played in the surf, buried ourselves in the sand and collected a multitude of seashells (and some kelp, if I remember correctly, that was not allowed in the car home). We'd get hungry again around 11:00. This was the big event.

Enter the greatest lunch on earth: Gran Fran's Fritatta. Simply put, it is just a potato and egg pie, like an omelette, but fluffier and filled with fried potatoes.

But, Gran Fran has a way with eggs like no one else. It must be said here that she cooks all egg dishes in olive oil, not butter. Olive oil is the preferred cooking medium for all things savory in Gran Fran's world. Heaven forfend using butter for anything other than baked goods, especially eggs. She gags at the thought of it.

Out came the Frittata. Gran Fran is known for her wrapping (no, it's not elegant, but it is always thorough), and did not scrimp on the waxed paper then foil wrap to ensure the eggs would stay nice and soft, and the temperature would remain as cool as possible.

Cups of seltzer were poured and the eggs handed out. There was always quiet once everyone was served and was munching on their delectable treat. At those times, it was nice to see such a large family having a nice peaceful lunch on a sunny beach day.

But once the eggs were eaten, everyone dispersed again to do what they had been doing before lunch (avoiding the jelly fish, mind you). Overall, we were sated, happy and sunburned. And, it was high noon, time for The Family to head out. That Gran Fran, she sure knows how to feed a crowd!

Fritatta A la Gran Fran

Serves 4 as a meal, or 8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

  • 2 Russet potatoes peeled and sliced thin
  • 5 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • Salt to taste

You will need a broiler-proof non-reactive deep skillet.

Method:

  • Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and swirl it around to coat the sides and bottom of the pan.
  • Place potatoes in pan, one at a time to create one layer. Do not crowd them. This will make a nice base for the Fritatta.
  • Cook the potatoes over medium heat until they are browned, about 10 minutes. Flip the potatoes over and cook another 5 to 8minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn.
  • Crack 5 eggs into a bowl and mix them as if you’re making scrambled eggs. Be sure to break up all the yolks and get them all mixed together well. Add salt to taste, but not too much.
  • When the potatoes are cooked on both sides, sprinkle them gently with salt. Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes. Move the pan around to distribute the eggs evenly. After a minute or two, slide a spatula around the sides of the pan and tilt the pan so the raw eggs run into the space that the spatula created.
  • Keep the pan on the flame for 3 minutes or so, shaking the pan gently, until the eggs begin to set to about an inch around the circumference of the fritata.
  • Set the broiler for 3 minutes. Place pan under the broiler and watch carefully as top of eggs get bubbly, firm, and golden, until the top is well browned.
  • Remove from oven. Place a serving plate on top of the pan, using oven mitts, grab the pan and plate and flip the Fritatta out onto the plate.

Enjoy hot, warm, cold, or at room temperature. Wonderful with a ripe tomato salad sprinkled wiht finely minced scallions, a dusting of kosher salt, and a good dollop of olive oil (this is Gran Fran's addendum to the above recipe).

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Potato Salad

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A version of this recipe is featured on The Fruit Guys website.

Please meet my new favorite way to prepare Brussels sprouts: shredded. What a delightfully easy way to make a very healthy salad, using something other than your standard issue salad greens.

I first came across this method in the Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food cookbook. Their version (which I made and wrote about here) includes bacon. Which, in so many ways, makes me so happy. But, I've found that I need to cut back on the pork products (oh wait, I have a rack of pork ribs in the oven right now....). Therefore, I've created a new recipe using the shredded Brussels sprouts in not only a vegetarian recipe, but also a vegan one. A girl's got to keep her sleek physique and all of the lovely recipes I've been writing have begun to add up on the I-think-my-pants-shrunk-in-the-dryer meter.

The potatoes are the only cooked item in the whole shebang. You can either roast them, dice them or fry them, just do whatever you prefer. And, I didn't include how many this recipe feeds. Seems that the shredded sprouts really go on for days. I've taken to shredding a while bunch of them and storing them in a zipper bag in the fridge. That way I can make any kind of salad I want whenever I want to.

Please do make this or the other recipe referenced above. It really tastes great and is a nice change in your salad repertoire.

Brussels Sprouts and Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 to 2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
  • 2 cups potatoes in 3/4 inch dice, steamed, roasted, sautéed, or boiled until tender but not mushy
  • 1 /2 cup fresh chopped carrots
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced finely
  • ½ teaspoon minced tarragon
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

  • Shred the Brussels sprouts.  You can use either a mandolin slicer or the slicer blade on your food processor. And, cutting them by hand is perfectly fine, just make them as thin as possible.
  • Place the shredded Brussels sprouts, diced and cooked potatoes and carrots in a large bowl.
  • Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper.
  • Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix well.

Leek and Cremini Mushroom Soup

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A version of this recipe is featured on The Fruit Guys website.

I decided to give leeks another try this week. I've not always been a huge fan, as you can see from this post. But, I'm growing up (about time) and decided I needed to give the mighty leek another chance.

My chance came when I walked through my local farmer's market this weekend and spied a pile of leeks. Now was as good a time as any to give this a go. Right next to the leeks, I spotted some lovely cremini mushrooms for sale. I thought for a moment and knew that I could make a good soup out of these, with some little additions from my kitchen.

I chose to enhance the cremini mushroom flavor with mushroom broth. And, I used bread to thicken the soup, as I've done many times in other soups. I figured this way, the flavor of the leeks and mushrooms would really take center stage.

The soup, I must say, came out pretty tasty. It's very simple to make, since all you're really doing is cooking the cut up leeks in broth while you saute the mushrooms in oil. Not much too it, but the flavors are really nice and earthy. Very Spring-is-in-the-air type of dish.

This recipe has proven to me that I need to not be so stubborn about my likes and dislikes and at least get creative with an ingredient I had long-ago written off.

Long live the might leek.

Leek Soup

Cook’s note:  The recipe can be easily double or tripled, dependent on the amount of people you are feeding. 1 cup of leeks was the equivalent of two medium sized leeks cut into rounds.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup of leeks, cut into rounds
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 cup mushroom broth
  • ½ tablespoon minced basil leaves, or ¼ tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 slice gluten-free sandwich bread, cubed (I like Udi's)
  • 1/3 cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

  • Place the vegetable stock over high heat in a large saucepan.
  • Add the leeks and boil until soft, about 20 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, add the sandwich bread to the soup. It should thicken the soup right up.
  • While the leeks are cooking, sautee the cremini mushrooms in the olive oil with some salt, over medium heat until crispy.
  • Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
  • Put the soup, basil and oil from the mushroom pan into a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Serve the soup in bowls with the crispy mushrooms on top.

Featured: Daily Buzz Moms: Pizza Rustica and Easter Egg Bread Baskets

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Thank you, Daily Buzz Moms for featuring both of my Easter recipes today!I am honored to be included with such a great bunch of sites:  Design*Sponge, Mr. Food Blog, The Wicked Noodle, Alida's Kitchen, Go Graham Go!, Red Tricycle, Hungry Happenings.

Click here to see all the wonderful Easter and Passover recipes.

Pizza Rustica recipe can be found here.

Easter Egg Bread Basket recipe can be found here.

Huzzah, and happy Wednesday!

Easter Egg Bread Baskets

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Today, Gran Fran called and suggested I try my hand at another of her wonderful Easter baked specialities.  Seems that she was so impressed with my version of her Pizza Rustica, that I was deemed worthy of her Easter egg bread basket recipe. As I've mentioned, I'm not much of a baker, so the prospect of taking on another baking project so soon was daunting.

And, I wanted to make these for Isabella. She is thirteen, which means that I don't have to get the Easter bunny over here, but there is still time for her to enjoy some of the fun. What was going through my mind, was how Gran Fran, no matter what, would send me off to preschool (then known as Nursery school) with fresh-baked treats for whatever holiday was being celebrated. I attended a Jewish Nursery school (long story, short, even though our family wasn’t Jewish, the private Nursery school was willing to take me a year earlier than the public school) and so Gran Fran made many challahs, and even hamantaschen cookies for Purim. She sent me the bread recipe today, which, as it turns out, is her trusty challah recipe from days of yore.

Gran Fran is always on my shoulder saying “What? So, you spend a little extra time after work making a nice treat for her? What’s it going to cost you … a little sleep?” This, from a woman who seems to need no more than 5 hours of sleep a night. Who knows if that is a product of raising five kids, what with all the worry and all, or if she was always that way.

Mine look just like her bread baskets, and I'm hoping that they are as lovely as the ones she sends over every year. No doubt, Isabella will give me very frank feedback on who's is better and what she likes about each. Either way, I'm just happy to be in possession of the recipe and to be able to make these baskets myself.

Easter Bread

Source: Fleischmann's Yeast, a division of Burns Philp Food, Inc.

Yield: 6 egg basket loaves

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water (100 to 110 F)
  • 2 packages (1/2 ounce or 4 1/2 tsp) Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 5 1/4 to 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • colorful sprinkles, optional
  • 8 hard boiled, dyed eggs

Method:

  • Place 1/2 cup warm water in large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add remaining water, sugar, margarine, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour; blend well.
  • Stir in 3 eggs, 1 egg white (reserve 1 yolk), and enough remaining flour to make soft dough.
  • Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface; divide in half.
  • Set aside 1 half. Divide remaining half into 2 pieces, one about 2/3 of the dough and the other about 1/3 of the dough.
  • Divide larger piece into 3 equal pieces; roll to 12-inch ropes. Place ropes on greased baking sheet; braid. Pinch ends to seal.
  • Divide remaining piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll to 10-inch ropes; braid. Place small braid on large braid. Pinch ends firmly to seal and secure to large braid.
  • Place a dyed egg into the braid and push down. As the dough rises, it will envelope the egg slightly.
  • Repeat with remaining dough to make second loaf. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Beat reserved egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water; brush over loaves.
  • Sprinkle with colorful sprinkles, if desired.
  • Bake at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes or until done, switching positions of sheets in oven halfway through baking time. Remove from sheets; let cool on wire racks.

Hot Peppers in the Oven

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We cut our teeth on hot peppers in Gran Fran's house.

My first hot pepper experience was at age 8. The whole family watched as I agreed to take on the challenge of taking a bite of Gran Fran's fried hot peppers. I don't htink the older kids thought I'd actually do it.

Well, I did, and I loved the flavor. It was a bit spicy at first, but I quickly became addicted to Gran Fran's fried peppers. Whenever I came home from college, she'd have a nice big bowl of them ready for me. To this day, I am greeted with the fried peppers when I visit NY.

I can't seem to find the same kind of Italian hot peppers out here in SF. Gran Fran called and said she made the most delicious oven-fried hot peppers. This was welcome news. I'm tired of stove top frying and was excited to gives this a try.

I figured jalapenos would work as a good pepper substitute and set about making my own version. I've served them with my chili-mac, on the fried toast with fried egg and just on their own straight from the jar. Yes, this new method does work, and it works well.

Now if I can just get my hands on some of those actual East Coast style hot Italian peppers, my hot pepper needs will be totally fulfilled.

Oven Fried Hot Peppers

makes an 8 ounce jar

Ingredients:

  • 8 to 10 Jalapeno Peppers, slliced into rings (or the hot pepper of your choice)
  • 4 tablepsoons Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, peeled, but left whole
  • Coarse Salt

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Pour the olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet
  3. Place the hot pepper rings onto the baking sheet, turning over on the pan to coat with the olive oil.
  4. Throw the garlic cloves into the pan.
  5. Sprinkle with coarse salt .
  6. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Check on them every five minutes or so to ensure that the peppers aren't browning too quickly. If they are, lower the heat to 400 degrees.
  7. Remove from oven and pour the rings and oil into a glass jar or bowl.

Enjoy!

Baked Eggs: repost from Paris, 2010

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A post from Paris, 2010

It's been almost two years since my summer in Paris with my daughter Isabella. I've been going through my blog from our trip and thought it would be nice to feature some of the posts. Hope you enjoy it.

This picture does not do the dishI had enough justice.

Baked eggs, have become an interest of mine in the recent past, but I have not had the opportunity to make them. I was pleased to see this traditional version offered on the menu across the plaza from Notre Dame, right next door to Shakespeare & Co bookshop. After all those steps, I really wanted to eat (not really that hard to climb, but any excuse for a big meal, I always say).

Isabella was going to order this, but decided on scrambled eggs with bacon as a safer bet. Probably good, this dish had cream, 6 eggs (no kidding) and maybe a half pound of bacon. I thought it was going to come in a small ramekin, but take a look at that pot!

Oh, I forgot to mention, it also had 3 to 4 good sized yellow potatoes sliced amongst the goodness. I ate almost the whole thing. It was so good.

When I get home, I will recreate this dish every now and then. Not too often, though, or I will have the cholesterol police knockin’ on my door.

I've found this Baked Eggs recipe on epicurious.com for you to try yourselves at home.

Avocados: Egg Smash-up, Smoothie and Guacamole

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Years ago, when my parents were visiting from New York, I decided to serve them some avocados. Joe, my dad, was less than enthusiastic having only had unripe, unflavorful avocados up until this point.  He remarked upon how he stayed away from avocados at all cost because they were tasteless and held no appeal for him. His opinion was forever changed after I served him a California Haas avocado.

Once it was served up simply diced drizzled with some olive oil, pepper and salt, I thought his head was going to explode. I think he thought I was a magician of some sort because I had picked a perfect avocado.  The teacher in him asked me a million questions about why our avocados were so much tastier than any he had eaten before. And, how did I get that pit out so perfectly?

I figured it was because they are grown here and we are lucky enough to have a year-round variety, the Haas avocado, available at all times. The avocados we've had in New York are a harder, taller variety than the Haas. According to this website, I'm thinking Joe is getting something like a Zutano avocado. The taste is much lighter and not quite as creamy as the Haas.

I eat a lot of avocados. I'm also lucky enough to have a group of friends and co-workers who love food as much as I do. We don't work in the food industry, but we all love it. Whenever I'm trying to come up with a recipe for a particular ingredient, I tend to take input from everyone at work. I spend an equal amount of time working with them as I do working on this site, so it makes perfect sense that if I can make something they'll love to eat, we all win.

The egg smash-up is an Israeli dish, I think, that my friend Anastasia started making for us. It's really a simple mix of equal parts hard-boiled egg and avocado, with some salt and pepper. It's great on everything from toasted baguette to rice cakes. It'll keep you going for hours, too, so no need to worry about getting hungry anytime soon!

My friend Robby suggested the smoothie recipe. I was not always a fan of smoothies, but something about the combination of banana and avocado sounded good to me. You can use either regular milk or almond milk here. The almond milk gives it a nice nutty flavor. I don't recommend using rice milk, though, because it's almost too sweet next to the banana and honey. And, the combination of the almond milk, avocado and banana makes the smoothie smell like the beach.

Lastly, my other friend Ari makes a wonderful guacamole. I don't think mine even comes close. But, it does have a great fresh flavor and nice piquant onions to offset the smooth and tangy avocado.

I know when I'm in New York this summer, if I can find some avocados I'm going to break out these recipes and blow Joe's mind.

Avocado Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 avocado, sliced in half and removed from the skin
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • Ice cubes

PREPARATION

  • Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the ice cubes have been completely crushed.

Serves 2. Prep time, 5 minutes; cook time, 0 minutes.

Cook’s note:  You can use almond milk or rice milk instead of regular milk.

Avocado Guacamole

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 avocado, sliced into cubes and removed from the skin
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 small tomato, cubed
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

PREPARATION

  • In a large bowl, mash the avocado until creamy.
  • Stir in the onions, tomato pieces, spices and oil.
  • Give the mixture one more run through with the masher.

Serves 4. Prep time, 5 minutes; cook time, 0 minutes.

Avocado and Egg Spread

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 avocado, sliced in half and removed from the skin
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

PREPARATION

  • Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash well with a fork.
  • Serve on toasted bread.

Serves 2. Prep time, 5 minutes; cook time, 0 minutes.

Can I Get Some Lemon Curd with those Scones?

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Isabella and I love to go to high tea. We were extremely excited to go in England at Fortnum & Mason, two summers ago. Our favorite treat are the scones covered in clotted cream and lemon curd.

Imagine our surprise when a lovely tea service showed up at our fancy table with no lemon curd. Our waiter (though I wish I had a fancier word for him, because he was fantastically attentive) seemed to think my need for lemon curd was strange. I figured since high tea in San Francisco always has lemon curd on offer, that this was a traditional English-type thing, too. I guess I was wrong. But, after a bit of explanation, our gentleman did bring us our preferred topping. And, it was worth the fuss. There was a much more real lemon flavor to the one he supplied than the ones we had been getting here at home.

My friend has a Meyer lemon tree that seems to be producing an inordinate amount of fruit at the moment. I seized the opportunity and decided to make homemade lemon curd. Though it was time consuming, it was well worth the effort. As I've mentioned before, I'm not much for measuring and paying close attention to precise instructions. I tried very hard last night to be as attentive as possible, and I have to say, the lemon curd turned out excellently.

With just 4 lemons, I managed to produce eight four ounce jars. The flavor is nice and tart, and there is no cream in the recipe I found, just sugar, eggs, butter and lemon. Wow, I will be making this for years to come.

And, next time we go to England, I may just bring a bottle with us, just in case they look at us funny again for requesting lemon curd for our high tea scones.

Oh, and if you're interested, here's a link to the pictures from our tea at Fortnum & Mason. Beware: lots of shots of teapots and even some of the beautiful bathrooms!

Lemon Curd

recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook as seen on foodnetwork.com

makes 32 ounces

Ingredients

  • 3 lemons
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 extra-large eggs
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  • Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
  • Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add thelemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
  • Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

Special Note:

You'll need to boil the jars before putting the final lemon curd into them, to make sure they are germ-free. Here's a how-to from a previous post, if you need help.

Boil your jars and lids while the fruit is bubbling away in the other pan . Take a large wide pan, fill with water, enough to submerge the jars and lids, and place on the heat to boil. Once the water has boiled, lower to a simmer and keep the jars in the water for five minutes. When the lemon curd is ready, remove each jar and lid one by one onto aclean cloth, right side up, to keep them as sterile as possible.

Fill your jars and  seal them:

Ladle chutney into each jar, filling up to the bottom of the neck of the jar, leaving headspace for the sealing to go well. Wipe down the top of the jar to make sure nothing is sticky on the outside, so that you can seal the jars, and they can be opened again. Put the lid on and close it as tightly as you can. Turn the jars upside down and leave to cool. This will seal the jars.

some people re-boil the filled jars, but I opt not to. if you want to, this is the time to do it!