Ham and Spinach Frittata

With half a red bell pepper and half a green bell pepper leftover from the Gazpacho Shrimp Saute plus some ham from the freezer, I figured I'd whip out a frittata.

Ham and Spinach Frittata
loosely based on Bacon-Potato Frittata with Greens and Gruyere
click to print

1 tbsp olive oil
half of small onion, diced
half a red bell pepper, diced
half a green bell pepper, diced
1/2 - 1 c ham, diced
half a bunch of spinach, coarsely chopped
5 eggs, beaten
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Heat oil over medium in 10" skillet until hot.


Saute onion and peppers until just beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.


Add ham and cook until warmed, about 2 minutes.


Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Press mixture over bottom of skillet.
 

Sprinkle with cheese and pour eggs over the mixture. Cook, covered, until bottom is set, about 4 minutes.


Broil until top is cooked and eggs are set, about 4 minutes. Let frittata stand 5 minutes, shake to loosen from pan, and transfer to serving dish.


I love frittatas, they are so straightforward and simple to make. And they're delicious! Most marvelous is that you can make them with vegetables and meats that might otherwise go unused. This frittata was literally made out of items that were destined to go out as worm food.

Cost:

• olive oil: $0.06
• onion: $0.15
• red bell pepper: $0.46
• green bell pepper: $0.40
• ham: $3.59
• spinach: $0.49
• eggs: $1.50
• Parmesan cheese: $0.54

Total: $7.19 or about $1.80 for each of four servings.

Cherries with Almonds and Mint

A sucker for anything to do with my favorite fruit, cherries, I had to try this recipe after finding while trolling on Gordon Ramsay's Twitter. I do regret that I didn't try this last week as I'd originally intended.

For the convenience of other American's who are unaccustomed to the metric system, I've Americanized the recipe. With any luck we'll convert to the metric system in my lifetime, which makes way more sense.

Cherries with Almonds and Mint
adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Tweet
click to print

1.1 lbs ripe cherries, pitted
2 tbsp sugar
splash of amaretto liqueur
lemon juice
50 g slivered almonds
mint leaves, chopped
yogurt (or clotted cream or creme fraiche)

Warm the cherries and sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar begins to dissolve and the cherries start to release their juices.


Add the amaretto and lemon juice; cook for a few more minutes until the liquid is reduced.


Divide the cherries among servings bowls and scatter the almonds and mint over. Serve with a generous dollop of yogurt.



Oh man, I am SO glad I tried this. It is just fantastic! Prep time takes longer than it takes to execute the recipe and it is completely worth it. I really should've measured out the ingredients nuts and toasted them since they are a little on the non-crisp side but still, just excellent. THIS is how fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt should taste. I am kicking myself for not trying this sooner since cherry season is over. Next year though, next year.

The original recipe says to serve the cherries with crème fraishe or clotted cream. I think yogurt is not as sweet as either of those options (a guess, having never tried either) so this is a little on the tart side. Still perfect. I imagine the cherries would be equally fantastic on ice cream or stirred with yogurt into granola.

Cost:

• cherries: $3.29
• sugar: $0.06
• amaretto liqueur: $0.39
• lemon juice: $0.76
• slivered almonds: $2, SWAG
• mint: $0.79
• yogurt: $1.75

Total: $9.04 or about $2.26 for each of four deliciously generous servings.

Peel Peaches

I'm gonna bake a cake and at the bottom of the recipe there was a tip on how to peel peaches. Because I'll forget how to do this and will have to look it up later, I'm posting it for my convenience. Hopefully it works for you too.

Boil water in a large pot.


Add peaches to the boiling water for about 30 seconds or until skins loosen.


Cool in ice water. Or not.

Peel skins with knife.



Really, this is simple. The skins actually get loose, just very slightly wrinkled. Once you make a slit in the skin you just lift it away and there won't be any fruit loss. Blanching is cool.

Sautéed Margarita Shrimp

Shrimp in every form makes me happy. The simplicity of this recipe drew me in. That it uses some of the giant jug of tequila I've had on my fridge for three years is a bonus.

Sautéed Margarita Shrimp
from Cooking Club of America
click to print

3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 lb. shelled, deveined uncooked large shrimp (21 to 30 count)
1/2 c sliced green onion, divided
3 tbsp tequila or margarita mix
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp grated lime peel
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 lime, sliced, optional


My mise en place for this recipe.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.


Add shrimp; cook 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently.


Add 1/4 cup of the green onions; cook 15 to 30 seconds or until onions turn bright green, stirring constantly.


Add tequila, lime juice, lime peel and hot pepper sauce; cook and stir 30 to 60 seconds or until slightly reduced.


Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter until melted.


Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 cup green onions.


Sprinkle with salt; garnish with lime slices.


Fast! I love shrimp particularly when dinner gets started late. Or maybe I start late knowing it'll done quickly? Regardless, I started the rice cooker in advance so it was just waiting for me to do my shrimp thing. Simple.

There is a very faint margarita/tequila flavor; the lime gives the shrimp a fresh flavor while the butter offers a savory velvety feel. I used Chipotle Tabasco for the heat and so that was very mild, almost too faint. I think I might have cooked the sauce down a little too much since a little bit more would've actually been better.

Was this a major flavor explosion? No, not quite, but definitely one I'd do again particularly since the ingredients list is so short and did I say fast? It reminds me of the Across The Border Tequila Shrimp recipe without the garlic.

After dinner, I had some cold baked oatmeal for dessert. I could really tell the margarita taste then. Plan your dessert accordingly.

Cost:

• unsalted butter: $0.21
• shrimp (21 to 30 count): $10.49
• green onion: $0.20
• tequila: $0.56
• lime: $0.21

Total: $11.67 or about $2.92 for each of four smallish servings.

Roast Pesto Chicken Sandwich

This is the sandwich I envisioned for my leftover roast chicken.

I carved a breast from the cold bird and sliced it crosswise, leaving the garlicky pesto in place.


A halved telera roll was only slightly broiled. And then I realized I wanted my chicken warmed. Most of the breast slices were placed on the open roll and broiled a few minutes, just enough to warm the chicken.


Slices of pepperjack cheese were placed on the chicken slices and melted in the broiler for about 30 seconds.


Meanwhile I diced a sun-dried tomato and stirred it into some mayonnaise, maybe a couple teaspoons.


The sun-dried tomato mayo was smeared over the cheese on one half of the roll.


And then some greens, spinach and arugula, were piled on the mayo before the halves were paired.



Fantastic! I am so glad I tried this. The sun-dried tomatoes and pesto were excellent flavors and the sweetness went well with the bitterness of the greens. The cheese and mayo made the sandwich just gooey enough without being soggy. Gently warming the chicken worked well and the slices remained juicy. I just wish I had some bacon! This is slightly reminiscent of this other chicken sandwich.

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062313
Since the remaining telera rolls went moldy on me, I bought a boule and fried some bacon to make this sandwich.


It's perfect.

Homemade Mayonnaise

I've been watching a lot of short Gordon Ramsay clips on YouTube lately and have been inspired to make some mayonnaise. I'm not doing Gordon's recipe for mayo because he does it in a fancy Cuisinart with a pile of eggs, making a boat load. Sure he says you can whisk, but I'd rather find a recipe specific to whisking because I'm a puss. Searching, I found this recipe which looks quite simple and the yield is small but still plenty for me.

Homemade Mayonnaise
from Epicurious
click to print

1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste
3/4 c canola oil, divided

Whisk egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds.


Using 1/4 teaspoon measure and whisking constantly, add 1/4 cup oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4 minutes.


Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color).


Cover and keep chilled. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.


I whisked like a crazy fool, scared the emulsion would break, and I think my mayo might have turned out a little runnier than anticipated since some of the oil I was drizzling in wound up splashed on my shirt, the counter, and the backsplash. During my mayonnaise research I learned that the more oil you add, the stiffer the mayonnaise will be. By the time I was done though, the idea of whisking in more oil was enough for me to just chop my arm off and be done with the damn thing as it was verging on useless.

Gordon Ramsay would yell at me because I couldn't bring myself to taste my efforts. It looks like it turned out okay but it's mayo and I've never eaten mayo by itself. I have fried some on a griddle in my youth and that continues to amaze/horrify me. I will guess that it's better than the stuff purchased at the store (and kept at room temperature, gross!) and doubt I'll buy mayo ever again. This was so easy and done in less than 15 minutes with stuff I generally have anyway. Based on the cost though, I can see why it's effective to just buy it.

Cost:

• egg: $0.31
• lemon: $0.35
• Dijon mustard: $0.04
• canola oil: $1.32

Total: $2.02 for about 1 cup.

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05/21/14
I just made some more of this mayo and it took about 4.35 minutes. When I made it last time I went so slow it took what seemed like forever. This time I made it like I was emulsifying a salad dressing. Blammo, done in minutes, no worrying. And I don't have an urge to chop my arm off.