Bacon, Spring Greens and Manchego Frittata

You guys, I’m really excited.

Sure, I have a lot to be excited about. My good friends are getting married this weekend. Josh, my youngest brother is graduating from UCLA on Thursday. But the thing that I am most excited about is the fact that I don’t have to get on an airplane for at least six weeks.

As much as I love to travel, I do not love to fly. When I was a kid, I loved when there was turbulance and the excitement of airplane snacks and sodas.

But now, now I dread everything from the lines, to the slightest bump in the air, to the boredom.

Seriously, there is nothing worse than finishing all your reading materials on the plane and having no entertainment system. Especially when you still have hours to go.

For six weeks, I get to be on solid ground. I plan on spending most of those six weeks in and around the kitchen.

I started out with something I miss a lot when I’m on the road. Breakfast,  for dinner. I like to mix it up.

You will need…

3 slices thick cut bacon, diced

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 hot red chile (spice level of your choice), seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 pound young spring greens (dandelion greens, kale, spinach mustard greens), sliced into ribbons

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

8 large eggs, beaten

¾ cup Manchego cheese, grated

2 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large oven safe, nonstick skillet cook the bacon in the olive oil over moderate heat stirring until golden brown.

When the bacon is golden brown, add in the shallots, chile and mustard seeds.

Add in the greens and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently until tender. About 5 minutes.

Set the greens aside to cool.

Preheat the broiler of your oven.

Whisk together the cheese and the eggs together and season with salt and pepper.

When the greens have cooled, whisk them into the eggs.

In the same skillet you used earlier, heat the oil over medium high heat.

When the oil is hot, add in the eggs, creating an even layer of eggs in the pan. 

Cook the eggs until they are lightly browned and set on the bottom. About 3 minutes.

Broil the eggs for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the eggs are set and lightly browned on top.

Slice and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Spring Greens and Manchego Frittata 

3 slices thick cut bacon, diced

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 hot red chile (spice level of your choice), seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 pound young spring greens (dandelion greens, kale, spinach mustard greens)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

8 large eggs, beaten

¾ cup Manchego cheese, grated

2 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large oven safe, nonstick skillet cook the bacon in the olive oil over moderate heat stirring until golden brown.

When the bacon is golden brown, add in the shallots, chile and mustard seeds.

Add in the greens and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently until tender. About 5 minutes.

Set the greens aside to cool.

Preheat the broiler of your oven.

Whisk together the cheese and the eggs together and season with salt and pepper.

When the greens have cooled, whisk them into the eggs.

In the same skillet you used earlier, heat the oil over medium high heat.

When the oil is hot, add in the eggs, creating an even layer of eggs in the pan. Cook the eggs until they are lightly browned and set on the bottom. About 3 minutes.

Broil the eggs for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the eggs are set and lightly browned on top.

Slice and serve hot. 

Potato Crusted Halibut

Today is the day that I have dreaded for weeks. Today is my last day of a long vacation. I don’t know about you, but to me the last day of vacation is actually way worse than the day you go back to work or school.

Don’t get me wrong the first day back is still really bad. But for me, I’m usually so busy the first day back that I don’t really have time to think about how bad it is.

Now today, I’m going to spend most of my time thinking about how I don’t want to back.

Boo.

So today I’m going to try and distract myself with lots of tasks. Getting new tires (also boo), exchanging holiday gifts (yay), possibly going on a bike ride (maybe) and I’m going to spend sometime playing with my new best friend.

Meet Blanche.

Yes friends, I name inanimate objects. And yes, I understand that it is strange. But how much easier is it to say Blanche than it is to say eleven-cup food processor? A LOT easier. 

Blanche has already made my life much easier. Not only does she chop things in a jiffy, make awesome bread dough and slice things in a ridiculously small amount of time, she grates.

Um, do you know how awesome it is to be able to grate a brick of cheese or potato in ten seconds? Literally, less than ten seconds. It is really freaking awesome.

Now don’t let your lack of a Blanche discourage you from making this dish. You are only grating one potato and you really don’t even need to grate the whole thing. And other than that this recipe is a breeze.

You will need…

1 lb halibut, sliced into 4 equal portions

1 medium sized russet potato, grated

¼ cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup all purpose flour

4 cups mixed greens

1 cup red grapes, halved

1 green apple, chopped

5 stalks celery, peeled

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup blue cheese (optional)

½ cup olive oil plus 2 extra tablespoons

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

After you have peeled your celery (I know this sounds really weird but it looks really cool), place it in a bowl of water with ice and the lemon juice and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Then, combine the greens, grapes, apple, and blue cheese if you are using it and set it aside.

In a small bowl, combine the potato, yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, and season it with salt and pepper.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and place one side of the fish in the flour so that is lightly coated.

Then, place a thin layer of the potato mixture onto the floured side of the fish.

Heat the 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fish potato side down and seer it until the potatoes are brown and crispy.

Remove the fish from the pan and place it on a lightly oiled (use the remaining ½ tablespoon oil) baking sheet potato side up.

Bake the fish in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, just until it is cooked through.

While the fish is baking in the oven, add the now curled celery to your green mixture.

Whisk together the remaining oil, vinegar, mustard and some salt and pepper and drizzle it over the greens.

Place about 1 cup of the greens mixture on each plate.

When the fish is done, place it on top of your greens and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Potato Crusted Halibut

1 lb halibut, sliced into 4 equal portions

1 medium sized russet potato, grated

¼ cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup all purpose flour

4 cups mixed greens

1 cup red grapes, halved

1 green apple, chopped

5 stalks celery, peeled

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup blue cheese (optional)

½ cup olive oil plus 2 extra tablespoons

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

After you have peeled your celery (I know this sounds really weird but it looks really cool), place it in a bowl of water with ice and the lemon juice and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Then, combine the greens, grapes, apple, and blue cheese if you are using it and set it aside.

In a small bowl, combine the potato, yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, and season it with salt and pepper.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and place one side of the fish in the flour so that is lightly coated.

Then, place a thin layer of the potato mixture onto the floured side of the fish.

Heat the 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fish potato side down and seer it until the potatoes are brown and crispy.

Remove the fish from the pan and place it on a lightly oiled (use the remaining ½ tablespoon oil) baking sheet potato side up.

Bake the fish in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, just until it is cooked through.

While the fish is baking in the oven, add the now curled celery to your green mixture.

Whisk together the remaining oil, vinegar, mustard and some salt and pepper and drizzle it over the greens.

Place about 1 cup of the greens mixture on each plate.

When the fish is done, place it on top of your greens and serve hot. 

Calzone and BBQ Caesar Salad

The thing I like the most about New Food Tuesdayz is not the good food, the learning, or the ton of wine people bring over, although, the wine is almost my favorite. My favorite thing about NFT’z are all the people it inspires to cook. In the last week alone, my friend Megan cooked a fancy meal for her boyfriend Paul, my mom tried her favorite dish herself and I got my brother and his four roommates to help me cook in the kitchen.

Josh and his roommates, Scotty, Chris, Bret and Sticks, are frequent NFT visitors. I love having them over because they are energetic, happy to be there and make me feel like I’m in college again.

Since they are so good about driving the treacherous 405 freeway to come see me every couple of weeks, I like to go to them every once in a while. So last night, Eric and I rounded up some kitchen must haves and headed to UCLA for calzones, white bean and garlic soup, and barbecued Caesar salad.

The best part about cooking with the boys is that each of them had a distinct cooking personality. Surprisingly, they weren’t too far off of their actual personalities.

Joshua’s calzones were big, bold and over stuffed.

Bret’s calzone had a ton of effort and heart, but lacked finesse.

Chris’s calzones were a little whimsical.

Scotty’s calzones were very precise and focused.

And Stick’s calzones were, well, non-existent. Sticks spent almost the entire time on two math problems.

The only downfall to the whole calzone extravaganza was that Josh purposely emitted a key ingredient. When I was getting ready to make the salad dressing and asked Josh where the anchovies were, he proudly told me he wasn’t eating that s#!@ and that he didn’t buy them. When I explained to him that Caesar dressing usually had anchovies in it, and with out those anchovies we would have no Caesar, he immediately sprung into action.

By spring into action, I mean he made a bet with Bret, that if Bret could complete 20 pull-ups he wouldn’t have to go to the store to get the anchovies. Watch the video to see if we had anchovies or not…

I’m not sure how I would have improvised without the anchovies, but I’m really glad I didn’t have to find out.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

P.S. I would like you to know that I 100% cheated this week. I used store bought pizza dough and store bought pizza sauce. I know, I know, that is super lame, but I didn’t want to eat at ten. But, surprise surprise, we ate at ten anyway because I am poor with time management.

Calzone

1 pack store bough pizza dough (I like the garlic and herb from Trader Joes)

1 pack store bough pizza sauce

3 of your favorite pizza toppings (sausage, pepperoni, pineapple, olives, mushrooms, if you don’t get the point by now I’m worried about you)

1 pack shredded mozzarella cheese

Flour for dusting

Start by taking your dough out of the package and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees or turn on your grill. Dust your surface with flour and divide the dough into three or four even parts. One at a time, roll out and stuff the dough. To create the calzone, fold the dough in half. Then, about ½ inch from the edge of the dough, fold the edges towards the center of the calzone. Roll until the edges are secure and nothing will leak out. You can either put the calzone and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, or put on tin foil and cook on the grill for about 30 minutes.

Barbecued Caesar Salad

1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice combined with 1 tablespoon orange juice)

4 cloves roasted garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

3 anchovy fillets

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for shaving

1 red onion

2 heads of romaine lettuce

favorite croutons (I like small ones for this salad)

Dressing

Place lemon juice, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise, anchovies, red wine vinegar, salt, and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Add the grated cheese and blend for a few seconds to incorporate.

Salad

Clean and slice the ends off the lettuce. VERY lightly coat the leaves with olive oil, salt and pepper. Slice the red onions very thin. Throw the lettuce on the grill for thirty seconds and remove. Add onion, croutons and dressing. Freshly ground pepper if desired.

Lamb and Chicken Gyros

It is funny how as NFT goes on, some things have gotten so much easier. I am now a natural at peeling and chopping, I can usually manage to get at least two dishes finished around the same time and I don’t have to convince people to come over for dinner anymore.

However, while some things have become way easier, there

are some things that have become way harder. Getting people to leave after a full meal and lots of wine has gotten increasingly more difficult. Taking new and interesting photos of chopped onions and or chopped shallots is becoming a serious challenge. But, the hardest thing to figure out is what to make. How is it that all of you manage to decide what to have for dinner every night when you can’t give me ONE idea I will never know. On that note, how on earth do I manage to have dinner every night when I can’t think of a couple things to make once a week?

Luckily, my friend Lindsay had a hummus recipe for me to try and it lead me to go with a Greek theme.

Lamb and chicken gyros with tzatziki and mustard cream sauces.

Greek Salad (Lish is obsessed)

And rice pilaf.

Thank you Katie, Megan, Paul and Matt for joining us. Next time YOU pick dinner!

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Gyros

Ingredients

1 pound lamb loin, sliced into 1-inch slices

2 chicken breast (about 6 to 7 ounces each) sliced into 1-inch slices

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 large pita breads

3/4 cup yogurt

1/2 cup small diced cucumbers

Juice of one lemon

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 white onion, sliced

1 large tomato, sliced into 6 slices

Directions

Preheat the grill. Season the lamb and chicken with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Brush the pita bread with the remaining olive oil. Place the lamb and chicken on the grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Place the pita bread on the grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side. In a mixing bowl, mix the yogurt, cucumbers, and lemon juice together. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the cucumber sauce evenly over each pita bread. Divide the lamb slices between the three pita breads. Divide the chicken up between the remaining pita breads. Garnish each sandwich with lettuce, onion and tomatoes. Place the pita bread on parchment paper. Roll the sandwich up tightly in the parchment paper, tucking the ends into the sandwich. With a serrated knife, slice the sandwiches in half and serve.

For the creole mustard sauce:

3 tablespoons creole mustard

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat grill to medium high or preheat broiler. Brush oil and season all the ingredients. Now Skewer them up on 4 metal skewers. For each skewer use, 2 tomatoes, 2 pieces peppers, 2 pieces of onion, 3 pieces of chicken, 3 pieces of andouille sausage. Now start the sauce. In a saucepan place stock and mustard. Bring to a boil, reduce heat for 2 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. While that is reducing, place the skewers on the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes on one side and then flip over and cook for about another 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. When the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, add the cream. Bring to a boil, and reduce for another 2 minutes. Now whisk in the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Place kabobs on a serving platter and drizzle sauce on top.

Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups basmati-style long grain rice

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Directions

Melt the butter with the shallot in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Season with the salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with the butter. Increase the heat to medium-high. Let the rice cook until toasted, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes more.

Stir in the broth, bay leaf, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and let set for 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary and bay leaf. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.