Rapini and Chive Omelet

Where has the time gone? Really. It feels like only a short while ago I was visiting my vegetarian sister and making all these great and wonderful healthy dishes. Somewhere after the end of January I fell off the healthy eating wagon. It happens. It does happen and no point beating myself up over it.

Finally, today in the middle of May I am back on track. Actually the beginning was last week while I was enjoying decadent local and fresh healthy food in the Okanagan.

Farm eggs in my almost empty refrigerator were beckoning. Don't forget me..me..me they echoed.


Fresh chives are ready in my garden, rapini in the crisper drawer and a lonely tomato rounded out a wonderful simple omelet for lunch.

Rapini and Chive Omelet

1 c. coarsely chopped rapini
2 free range farm eggs
1/2 tomato, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. snipped chives
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
oil for the pan

Boil the chopped rapini for a couple of minutes and drain well. Boiling takes away some of the inherent bitterness.

Whisk the eggs for a minute or two and add snipped chives.

Heat a small pan over medium and add a splash of olive oil. When the pan is fully heated arrange the rapini and chopped tomatoes. Pour over the eggs and chives to evenly distribute. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until set. Serve immediately. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Oven Omelet

I made this with my housemade chorizo from Salt in Regina. I had no idea it would turn out so colourfully. This is another great brunch idea because the entire recipe can be whipped up the night before and refrigerated. Pop into a preheated oven in the morning. I made a half recipe and used a nice serving casserole dish so it is table ready.
 

Basic Oven Omelet

Serves 6

10 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and whisk in the milk. Stir in the cheese, diced ham, and parsley. Season with the salt and pepper and pour into the prepared pan. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

3. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.

• Reprinted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand. (Harvard Common Press, January 2011)

Baked Herb Garlic Ricotta Dip

Making ricotta at home is easy peasey and half the price of buying ready made. This is a simple yet impressive appetizer or hors d'oeuvre that you can whip up with a little advance planning.

Slice a baguette on the a slight diagonal and toast under the broiler, carefully. Brush with olive oil. They are ready. Do this before starting the dip.

The directions for making ricotta at home are on my blog. Dare to do it.

Hot Herb Garlic Ricotta Dip
8 oz. fresh ricotta
garlic
olive oil
fresh herbs such as rosemary or oregano
sea salt, to taste
In a small ovenproof skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom over medium heat. Add a few cloves of sliced garlic and cook until fragrant and just beginning to color, then immediately top with a layer of ricotta about an inch thick. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Bake in a 375-degree oven until bubbling on top, about 20 minutes. Top with finely chopped herbs and sea salt. Serve immediately with toasted baguette slices. (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Garlic and Herb Oven Fries

This month with the Cooking Light Supper Club we are allowing ourselves an indulgence, lightened up. One of my favourite indulgences is french fries. Don't get me started on those or I will be having them several times a week. I can honestly say that I can count on one hand the number of times I have eaten french fries since Christmas! This truly is a treat for me this month.

This recipe really works. The fries were crispy. I ate without the guilt of buying fast food. If you are one to love them with aioli this recipe will please you. The garlic butter they are tossed in hits the spot. To alleviate my guilt even more, I had them with my  homemade catsup. Did you know that a tablespoon of catsup contains one teaspoon of sugar? That is just gross. Making catsup is so worth it. My recipe for homemade catsup is here.

Check out the rest of our group for more amazing flavours you will want to make.

 

Sandi – Filet with Bourbon Coffee Sauce. 

Val - Salt Roasted Shrimp with Lemon Honey Dipping Sauce

Susan – Shrimp, Chorizo and Corn Salad

Shelby – Mirin Mushrooms

Jerry- Lemon Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

 

Garlic and Herb Oven Fries

Serves 6 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

2 lb. potatoes
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a roasting pan and oven to 450F. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch matchsticks. Toss with oil. Arrange in pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Turn oven to broil. Broil 20 minutes or until browned, turning once. Melt butter in skillet. Add minced garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add fries. Cook 1 minute. Toss with salt and pepper.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
JULY 2012

Ribbon Asparagus Salad with Rhubarb Vinaigrette

This may look a tad tedious to construct but actually it is a meditation. And isn't it oh so beautiful?

A mandolin is not necessary or even recommended. I use a vegetable peeler. A friend of mine always peels her asparagus regardless of the recipe. I thought it was craziness but I am now a believer. It is that outer part that can make asparagus stringy and tough.

I slice off a peel on two opposing sides to start and discard them. Then I make thin ribbons all the way through the stalk. Toss in a drizzle of olive oi. There is no worry about it turning brown. It stays vibrant green.

Place the ribbons of asparagus tossed with oil on a baking sheet. Place in a 375 F oven for 5 minutes. The flavour is much richer with roasting. Cool and toss with vinaigrette. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.

In the picture I used my sea buckthorn vinaigrette and garnished with berries. It will also be lovely with another spring garden delight - rhubarb.

I have made this vinaigrette with and without vinegar and without has a much nicer rhubarb flavour. If you feel you need to use vinegar use only a tiny splash. The flavour of vinegar overpowers the rhubarb which becomes quite delicate upon cooking.

Rhubarb Vinaigrette

1 c. chopped raw or frozen rhubarb
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Cook rhubarb in 1/2 c. water until tender. Cool. Puree in blender. Add honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Puree until blended. With blender running drizzle the olive oil. It will emulsify and create more of a creamy dressing that doesn't immediately separate like a true vinaigrette.

Sea Buckthorn Vinaigrette

1 c. sea-buckthorn berries 250 mL

2 tbsp. honey 30 mL

1/2 vanilla bean

2/3 c. olive oil            160 mL

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar 30 mL

1 tsp. Dijon mustard 5 mL

2 tbsp. shallots            30 mL

1/2 c. whole pecans, toasted 125 mL

1 clove garlic, minced

sea salt, to taste

Gently simmer berries in enough water to cover. When berries have popped remove from heat. Strain through a jelly bag without squeezing the bag.  Boil the juice with honey until thickened slightly. Add a few more whole berries, scraped seeds from the vanilla bean and simmer gently. Cool.

Make the vinaigrette but adding oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, sea buckthorn sauce, shallots and garlic to a jar with a lid. Shake to mix.

Parmesan Crusted Roast Asparagus

I teased with this picture in yesterday's post and that just isn't fair. These are so gall darned good that everyone should take a look. And they are purdy, too!

The recipe comes from Cooks Country. I love watching this program on Detroit Public Television and all the current season's recipes are available free online. There is a video on their website showing how to make this. It is a fun watch.

The recipe suggest pricking the stems all over with a fork, sprinkling with salt and letting sit for 30 minutes so excess water is leached out. In theory this should work but in reality it was a waste of time. There was so little water to come from these and the finished product was not soggy so I would suggest just skipping that step. Be sure to thoroughly dry the stalks after washing. I had some problem getting the breading mixture to stick.

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus         from Cooks Country

Avoid pencil-thin asparagus for this recipe. Work quickly when tossing the asparagus with the egg whites, as the salt will rapidly begin to deflate the whites.

• 2 pounds (1/2-inch-thick) asparagus, trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs 
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• Pinch cayenne
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon honey

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Using fork, poke holes up and down stalks of asparagus. Toss asparagus with ½ teaspoon salt and let stand for 30 minutes on a paper towel–lined baking sheet.

2. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup Parmesan, bread crumbs, butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Transfer half of bread-crumb mixture to shallow dish and reserve remaining mixture. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and honey on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape into 13 by 9-inch baking dish and toss asparagus in mixture. Working 1 spear at a time, dredge half of asparagus in bread crumbs and transfer to baking sheet. Refill shallow dish with reserved bread-crumb mixture and repeat with remaining half of asparagus.

3. Bake asparagus until just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmesan and continue to bake until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to platter. Serve.