FRITTATA, TORTILLA OR QUICHE?

                                Frittata, Tortilla or Quiche?

          This week we shall continue to explore easy and light egg dishes, fit for a summer luncheon, dinner or even weekend breakfast. The country of origin for each dish defines how it is cooked and results in slightly different flavor and texture.

Frittata originated in Italy and similar to an omelet is cooked in a pan on stove top. While the omelet is filled with other ingredients just before folding over to serve, frittata eggs are mixed with the chopped ingredients and cooked together on stove top, but and finished in the oven to give a lighter texture. In France, egg custard and the other chopped ingredients are poured in a partially prebaked shell and baked in an oven to give us quiche. While omelets are served warm, frittatas and quiche can be served warm or at room temperature.

Spanish Tortillas are defined by potatoes and onions in addition to eggs as their primary ingredients. They are cooked on stove top and flipped over to finish, though it may be easier to finish them by putting them under a broiler for 2 minutes. Tortillas are usually served at room temperature but may be also served warm as a side dish to meats.

                                        Spinach frittata with pancetta

          In an ovenproof pan sauté 2 oz. pancetta crisp and drain on paper towels. In the same pan sauté 2 shallots thinly sliced and 4 oz. sliced mushrooms. With an electric mixer beat 4 eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup water, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Stir in ½ cup shredded Gruyère cheese and 2 cups baby spinach coarsely chopped.  Pour mixture on top of the shallots and mushrooms. Spread top evenly and sprinkle with additional ¼ cup Gruyère and the crisped pancetta. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm cut in wedges.

                                       Spanish tortilla

 

                                               Ricotta-bacon quiche

          Line a 9-inch pie plate with roll out crust, prick with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Crisp 3 thick slices of bacon, drain on paper towels and break in bite size pieces. Pour off most of the fat and sauté 1 thinly sliced medium onion in the pan for 5 minutes. Dice 4 oz. Gruyère cheese in ½ inch pieces.

          Beat 3 eggs with an electric beater with 1 ¼ cups ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup milk, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and ¼ tsp. nutmeg. Layer in the prebaked crust bacon, onion, Gruyère, and ¼ cup Parmesan. Pour over the egg mixture and sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 425-degree oven, turn down heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 additional minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

          Eggs as a protein source for meals has numerous possibilities for variations in flavor and texture. Another interesting combination is achieved in Italian strata, a breakfast dish made with bread cubes, eggs and other flavorful ingredients. “Buon appetito!”

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

EGGS TO START THE DAY

 

                                            Eggs to start the day

 

          Call it “perverse coincidence’, but the recent dramatic spike in egg prices just coincided with dieticians, supported by honest medical science, lifting the bane from eggs for being unhealthy due to cholesterol concerns.  Eggs are now declared the perfect source of protein, not only for building muscle but also as an easily digestible nutrient rich food. 

          Packed in the egg’s 72 calories, are high levels of choline, Vitamin D, Vitamins B2 and B12, the antioxidant selenium and Omega-3 fats, in addition of high protein. These are all important for muscle health and slowing muscle loss in older adults. A couple of eggs to start the day are likely to give your day with a boost for muscle health and nutrition.

          Any restaurant serving breakfast is likely to have fried, scrambled or even boiled eggs on the menu. The home cook can easily come up with some interesting variations on those such as dressing up the eggs with fresh salsa: chopped cherry tomatoes, diced green or yellow pepper and green or red onions mixed with a splash of flavored rice vinegar and a dash of Tabasco. 

           In the Southern part of the USA, grits are an important part of breakfast and pair well with eggs. For cooks who find mornings a slow start, grits provide an easy, quick and tasty base for presentation of eggs, though some modifications are required to overcome the bland taste of grits.

                                  Jalapeno-jack-cheese grits with egg

          This make 2 servings. Heat 2 cups of water with ½ tsp. salt to boiling and whisk in ½ cup quick cooking grits. Continue whisking on low heat for a minute and disperse any small lumps. Continue cooking for 6 additional minutes with occasional stirring. Stir in 1/3 cup shredded jalapeno-jack cheese (or sharp cheddar), stir until it melts and ladle in shallow bowls.

In the meantime, melt 1 tbsp. butter in a small pan and break 2 eggs into the melted butter. Return pan to medium heat and cook until the whites are set. Lightly sprinkle with some pepper, slide an egg on each bowl of cheese grits and serve hot.

Baked eggs in the morning can come in different forms without looking like a plain cooked egg. Popovers are delightful but sometimes tricky. Dutch baby has a similar set of ingredients and is cooked in a single heavy ovenproof pan.

                                       Dutch baby primavera

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Have handy 3 oz. freshly grated sharp cheddar, 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan, 1 thinly sliced green onion, 2 tbsp. chopped dill and some baby spinach leaves. In a small bowl mix ½ cup flour with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Beat 4 eggs with 1/3 cup milk and 2 tbsp. melted butter and combine with the flour to make a smooth batter. Preheat a heavy oven safe pan in the oven for 3 minutes, remove carefully, swirl 1 tbsp. butter in pan, pour in ½ of the batter, scatter with shredded sharp cheddar, Parmesan, sliced green onion, chopped fresh dill and a pinch of small spinach leaves. Pour the rest of the batter on top and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot, cut in wedges.

Eggs do not need to be boring as I showed in a previous column of Shakshuka or Eggs in Purgatory. We will discuss more substantial meals featuring eggs, such as frittatas, omelets, soufflés, crustless quiches and tostadas in future columns             

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

MIDSUMMER

 

                                                Midsummer

           The magic of Midsummer solstice came last week together with a two-day heat wave that left most of us gasping.  It was difficult to imagine those cool dusk filled evenings portrayed in Swedish movies as young and old gather around bonfires to celebrate Midsummer or St. John’s night. The saint’s name came with Christianity to a previously pagan celebration of the arrival and fruitfulness of summer, celebrated with song, dancing, beer, cheese, herring and other savory and sweet special dishes.

          It was time to think of dinners with grilled meat, take advantage of early summer fruit and incorporate them in our meals from breakfast to desert time. Pancakes are simple and easy any day and a good pancake mix that requires only a measure of mix plus water becomes so much more, when you incorporate an egg in the batter and stir in bite size peaches before cooking. 

                                       Peach pancakes

Measure out 1 cup pancake mix and lightly beat with 1 large egg and water as per package directions, decreasing the water by 2 tblsp. per 1 cup mix. Pit a peach (no need to peel), distribute the dice evenly in the batter and fry 3-to-4-inch pancakes. Serve with or without strawberries and maple syrup or jam.  Peach pancakes might only be beaten by fresh Maine blueberries, but for that we will have to wait until late July.

                                    Steak with rice-kimchi fritters

Grill or fry in a very hot cast-iron pan, a salted and peppered 1 inch ribeye steak for 3-4 minutes on a side. Baste with Korean barbeques sauce and cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute on side, remove to a platter and pour any remaining sauce on top. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and slice on diagonal.

For fritters: beat 1 large egg with 2 tbsp. flour, 1 tsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. salt. Stir in 1 ½ -2 cups cooked rice (preferably day-old leftover). Drain 1 cup kimchi, chop the leaves and stir into the rice mix. Allow to sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to blend and then fry fritters in 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter for 4 minutes to the side. Serve with dipping sauce: ¼ cup soy sauce plus 1 tbsp. white vinegar.

Serve steak with fritters, some greens and enjoy the blending of the flavors.

Each spring and early summer we savor a favorite rhubarb-cherry pie. This recipe has an interesting history since it was inspired by a Maine Public Television program that was not a cooking show. This show featured a series of garden design discussions between a woman Maine gardener and one of the curators of the Kew British Royal Gardens. Somewhere between white and night fragrant gardens the lady from Maine mentioned that she had just baked a rhubarb-cherry pie, since rhubarb was plentiful in her garden. It sounded intriguing and with a bit of second guessing I came up with my own recipe. Rhubarb need a bit of taming in a pie and many cooks accomplish this with strawberries. Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to strawberries, so discovering a combination with dried cherries saved the day.

                                                   Rhubarb-cherry pie

Wash rhubarb and cut stalks in ¾ inch lengths to make 3 and ½ cups. Roll out a ready-made pie crust for the supermarket deli case and fit in a 9-inch pie plate. Toss 1 ½ cups sugar with 3 tbsp. cornstarch and spread 1/3 over the bottom of the pastry. In a large bowl toss the rhubarb, ½ cup dried cherries with the remaining sugar mix and spread evenly in the pan. Grate 1 tsp. lemon zest over the surface and dot with 1 tblsp. butter. Cover the pie with the second crust, crimp the sides and cut some vents on top. Lightly baste the top with cream and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a 450-degree preheated oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.          

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)