Grains, Greens and Scrambled Eggs

Since I have been on my farro kick all summer, I have made this greens and grains dish many times for breakfast throughout the summer.  It started out to be a cooler summer, so a nice warm dish which comes together so quickly was just what I was craving many times this summer.  It is a filling dish with the protein and grains, but also gives that boost of greens which I often crave.  This is another recipe adapted from Whole Grain Mornings, but there are so many grains to try that you can easily substitute whatever you have been cooking recently as long as you have some leftover!

Greens and Grains
1-2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1-2 pinches salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup (or as much as desired) packed greens (I like arugula or spinach)
1/4 cup cooked whole grains (I used farro, but barley or wheat berries would be good)
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, salt and egg(s).  Heat about 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the green onion and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil then the grains and greens.  Cook until warmed throughout, about 3-5 minutes.  Decrease heat to low and add the egg mixture.  Stir until they are cooked, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, add pepper and salt to taste.  Add the chopped chives.

Serves 1, but can easily doubled to serve two.

Scrambled Eggs with Greens and Grains

My husband and I have been traveling a number of weekends in a row.  When we get home I am not very inspired to cook until I have had a day of rest, so I asked him what he wanted for dinner the next night.  We had just eaten pasta, which is one of the only things that he cooks, when I asked him what he wanted.  He replied with grains.  I asked for more information and he said that he used to be satisfied with just pasta, pasta and more pasta, but that I have introduced a lot of variety into his diet and now he wanted some of that variety.  So as I was looking through recipes with grains, I remembered Whole Grain Mornings and was determined to have a hot breakfast this morning which would warm me from the inside out.  This is really an easy recipe to throw together especially if you have just a little bit of grains left over from some other recipe.  I didn't, so I cooked up just 1/3 cup of farro, which is one of my most favorite grains.  That 1/3 cup cooked up to quite a bit more than I wanted for just one serving, so I will be eating these scrambled eggs again very soon.

Scrambled Eggs with Greens and Grains
Serves 1 (easily doubled to serve 2)

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup (or two handfuls) greens (I used arugula, but you can also use spinach, Swiss chard, etc.)
1/4 cup cooked grains (I used farro, but you can use wheat berries or barley too)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
pepper and salt to taste

Whisk together eggs, milk and salt.  Heat the tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Saute the green onion and garlic until soft, about 1 minute (as it will continue to cook with the greens).  Add the greens and grain and saute.  (You can add a little more olive oil if you need to.)  When the greens are wilted and grains warm, decrease the heat to low and pour in the egg mixture.  Stir eggs until they are lightly scrambled, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, sprinkle on the chives, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve right away with crusty bread if desired.

Quiche Lorraine

If you haven't tried Quiche Lorraine, you really should.  My husband is not a big fan of quiches, but they are something that has always struck a cord.  They remind me of Easter Sunday where sometimes the maker knew what they were doing and it turned out well, but the other times the quiche was wet and leaky and just not so good.  (Those were more the mass produced for a large group of people.)  Quiche Lorraine is different though because it isn't a thick quiche, so the flavors of whatever you put in it - in this case crisp bacon and a bit of cheese - really comes through without having to weed through all the eggy batter to figure out what the flavor should be.

Another good memory of Quiche Lorraine was on a visit to Germany.  My parents had an exchange student whose family I was visiting.  They live on the boarder with France.  One of the many delicious meals I ate with the family included a Quiche Lorraine.  It was quickly put together and it helped feed the family gathering we were at one afternoon.

I was reading through Homemade by Clodagh McKenna which is where I stumbled across her version of Quiche Lorraine.  This is based off her recipe.

Quiche Lorraine  (serves about 8)
Pastry:
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten

Filling:
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
bacon - I used thick cut bacon, about 5 -6 pieces fried (about a cup), broken or cut into pieces
4 eggs beaten
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

Pastry: sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the cold butter until you have a small crumbly texture.  Add the egg and and bring the mixture together to form a dough.  (Add water if the mixture is too dry.)  Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Remove from the refrigerator and roll out the dough into a big round.  Butter a tart pan and place the dough on it.  Chill again until the filling ingredients are ready.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place parchment and dough weights in the center.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the pie weights and parchment and return the pie shell to the oven for another 3-5 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.  Sprinkle the cheese onto the bottom of the pie shell.  Sprinkle the bacon bits on top of the cheese.  Combine the eggs, milk and cream and whisk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the mixture over the bacon and cheese.  Trim the pastry.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  This will allow the pastry to set a bit more as it cools.  Slice and serve.

Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Quiche

 Eating quiche always makes me think of the those watery ones that my family would eat at church on Easter after the very early sunrise service.  Despite the not good as you might think eggs, I liked them.  I liked the tradition that went with eating the ham and eggs.   While this is not that same quiche, it is a while lot better.  It is based off of Keepers (Brennan and Campion) broccoli quiche.  I don't always like the combination of the eggs and cheese, but this one is well balanced and the cheese is not rubbery at all.  Plus, because there isn't a crust, it can be made very quickly.  If you like quiche for dinner, this would make for a quick week night meal.

Broccoli and Cheese Quiche
3 cups broccoli florets (about 1 large head of broccoli) or a combination of broccoli and cauliflower
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1 cup 2% milk (though you can use any the creamier the better)
2/3 heavy whipping cream
6 eggs
nutmeg
pepper
salt
butter or oil to grease the pie plate

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 10 inch pie plate.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it with salt.  (This keeps the broccoli green.)  When boiling, add the broccoli, stir and blanch for just a minute or two.  Drain the broccoli and rinse with cold water (to stop the cooking).  Dry the broccoli and place in the bottom of the grease pie plate.  Add the cheese evenly over the broccoli.

In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, nut (a pinch or two to taste), 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper (also to taste).  Whisk until smooth and then pour over the cheese.  Bake until the egg mixture is just set in the center, about 35-40 minutes.  Let cool a little before serving.

Spinach Quiche

I was baking so much the past few weeks, so I needed a break from all the sweet stuff and have added some savory recipes to balance out all of the high sugar content recipes.  Recently, I have been craving some nice greens.  Therefore, I went out and bought some spinach with is useful in so many ways.  It is such a versatile green that it is delicious eaten raw, but equally delicious chopped up and cooked.  This recipe is from my family in New Zealand.  It was one of the first things I learned to make when I was there, and I still go back to it when I am craving a piece of spinach quiche.

Spinach Quiche

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Crust:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons cold butter

ice cold water

Mix dry ingredients and then rub in the butter.  Add cold water by the tablespoon until dough comes together.  Roll out dough and place in a pie or quiche plate.

Filling:

4 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (less if you want the flavor more subtle)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 large onion

spinach to taste, though at least 1.5 ounces

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a food processor with the cutting blade place the eggs, salt and pepper, nutmeg and milk.  Blend in and add the onion and spinach leaves.  Finally, mix in the grated cheese.  Pour the filling into the pie plate.  Place in oven for about 45 minutes or until gently set.  (It should not be liquid in the middle so judge the time based on how wiggly the middle is.)

Makes one pie plate (about 8 servings)

Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles

Six months ago if you had asked me what chilaquiles were, I would have given you a blank stare.  Sometime this spring I was talking to someone, they mentioned chilaquiles.  Since I love many different types of food, but Mexican food in particular, I was interested.  There are many different ways to make chilaquiles, so this will be just one version of what you could come up with depending on what you want to add to this breakfast dish.

This version is a twist from heart of the artichoke by David Tanis.  Ironically, I have owned this book for a little more than a year, but I don't recall reading about the chilaquiles.  At any rate when I unpacked some of my stored cookbooks, I was happy to come across this book for inspiration.  I find David Tanis' voice an interesting read.  Not only are the recipes well thought out, but they are more on the simplistic side of things.  This does not mean they are not time consuming, but taken in steps the dishes are easy to put together and have a wonderful cacophony of flavors.

This version of chilaquiles is quick to prepare, but remember to have your mise en place completed before starting or you will be scrambling since it cooks quickly.

Chilaquiles
Serves 1

Corn tortillas
olive oil
cilantro or parsley
scallions
chiles
salsa
1 egg beaten
salt
pepper


Cut two tortillas into smaller pieces.  Heat a skillet with a little olive oil and fry the tortillas until crisp.  Add the chopped parsley or cilantro, scallions, chiles and salsa.  Add the beaten egg.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  You are ready to eat as soon as the egg is cooked to your liking.  This is very aromatic and will make you eager to dig in!  Note: if you double the recipe, be sure that your tortillas are crisp and the eggs don't make them soggy.

Oven Pancakes - Scandinavian Style

When I was in high school, two of my friends worked for a restaurant called Pannenkoeken Huis, which basically meant Pancake House.  They had to wear uniforms which made they look like Dutch girls, and anytime anyone ordered a pannenkoeken they had to call it out while they were delivering it to the table.

At any rate, I don't think these pancake restaurants are around any longer, but when I saw the recipe in my Scandinavia cookbook, I knew I needed to make it.  I invited some friends over for breakfast and as I pulled it from the oven, everyone was shocked at the pancake I had produced.  None of them had seen a puffy oven pancake before, so it was to great acclaim when I served the pancake.

This recipe is adapted from Scandinavian Feasts by Beatrice Ojakangas.  It has a great presentation and it is best served hot from the oven, so be prepared and have your toppings ready!

Oven Pancake

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick butter (or 1/4 cup)

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk , flour, sugar and salt.  Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes before baking.  Preheat oven to 500 F.  Melt the butter in an oven safe skillet as the oven preheats.  Remove just when butter is nearly melted.  Make sure to coat the sides of the pan with the butter.  Pour in the pancake batter and bake for about 15 minutes or until puffed up with a set center.  Serve immediately.  I served with lemons and powdered sugar as one option.  Another option was fresh blueberries and strawberries with vanilla whipped cream.  (Do not mix the two.)

Serves 4.

Norwegian Baked Cheese Omelette

I have visited Norway a few times and each time I have been met with delicious food and hospitable people.  I never did eat this omelette there, but I can imagine eating it in one of the cafe's my friend took me to during my stays with her.  I have long dream of a cafe of those ranks in the U.S.  It was set on the shore of one of the waterways which lead to Oslo.  Just out of the distance on the water, you can just imagine Oslo there.  From this town as well you can take a ferry into Oslo, which we did take once.  The view in the morning from the cafe is crisp and clean in October, but on that weekend day, the cafe was filled with friends and family who were enjoying each others company while eating a sandwich or a pastry with coffee.  This omelette recipe also comes from Scandinavian Feasts by Beatrice Ojakangas.  Try it out and share with friends and family as I did when I served it...Hot from the oven with bread, juice and friends.

Norwegian Baked Cheese Omelette

4 eggs

¼ cup milk

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 whole green onions, sliced

1 cup cooked diced ham

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped thinly

8 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, cut into ¼ inch cubes

Preheat oven to 400F.  Whisk together eggs, milk and salt.  In a frying pan, melt the butter.  Add the ham, onion, and bell pepper and sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are bright green and the pepper is hot.  Pour the egg mixture over the sauté and sprinkle with the cheese cubes.  Bake for about 20 minutes until the egg mixture is set and cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings

Eggs - it's what for breakfast.

I have to say that after butter, I use more eggs than any other ingredient.  At least I can get fresh and delicious eggs in addition to the regular store bought ones.  If you have never eaten freshly laid eggs, then you are truly missing out on some wonderful tasting food.  Even the color of the eggs is better than regular store bought eggs.  I highly recommend to find someone who has chickens and invest in their product.

So yesterday morning after a day on the powder filled slopes I was craving some decent protein for breakfast.  I was also craving green things.  My boyfriend always gives me a hard time for describing things as tasting green, but I really think that is the best description for some green things (like spinach or kale).  However, this morning I opened up the refrigerator and pulled out the herbs I had been hiding away in there which included tarragon and chives.  I chopped up the red pepper I had leftover from something else while my boyfriend beat the eggs.  With the olive oil heating in the pan, we soon had everything ready for a pleasing looking and delicious breakfast.

Basically the recipe is (for 2 servings):

4 eggs, beaten with some milk (1/2 cup maybe)
Olive oil
1/2 red pepper, diced
Shredded cheese
Chives, chopped
Tarragon, Chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the pan with a few tablespoon of olive oil.  Once hot add the beaten eggs and then wait for a minute to cook.  Add the red pepper, chives and tarragon.  Add salt and pepper.  Turn the eggs so they cook throughout (though not quite completely or they will loose their creamy texture).  Just before cooking throughout add the shredded cheese.  Serve and consume immediately.