Breakfast Series, Part 2: Baked Eggs over Summer Squash Hash

I know you are on the edge of your seats just waiting for the second part of my breakfast series. This time I decided to make a baked dish. I grated some summer squash from our CSA with an onion in our food processor. I cooked the mixture with some olive oil and garlic in a small skillet until it browned. I added salt, pepper and garlic powder as well as some dried chili flakes.

Once it was about cooked I topped the hash with some fresh grated pecorino and 4 farm fresh eggs. I baked the whole skillet in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes and then broiled until the egg whites set (about 2 minutes more.)



When the eggs were set I topped the entire dish with more cheese and served with a slice of Benton's Farm bacon (seriously, this is the best bacon in the entire world and I highly recommend it.)

Breakfast Series, Part 1: Breakfast Quesadilla

Ok, it's be a long long time since I last posted. I have probably cooked some more interesting dishes than breakfast, however I did not document anything, so here are a couple breakfast posts.

For the quesadilla, I cooked a can of pinto beans with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin until they are soft and then mashed them a bit. I scrambled some eggs and toasted a couple corn tortillas topped with some melted cheddar. After assembly I finished the quesadilla with an avocado crema (mayo, Greek yogurt, avocado, cilantro, lime, salt) that I made in the food processor.

Ultimate Roast Beast with Spinach "Gunge"

For a few years now I have lived without a grill.  How on earth do you cook a fine piece of meat without a grill?  After talking to my very talented boss and reading the latest Bon Appetit I finally have my answer and have been cooking meat about 8x more than I had for over a year.  Hooray!

I decided to try it out for the first time on a 2lb Top Sirloin Roast (with a good amount of fat on top "fat cap")
After coating it with olive oil, some fresh ground pepper, and plenty and I mean PLENTY of sea salt, it sat on my counter warming up for about 1.5 hours.  It a pan on the highest heat possible i seared all sides of the meat.  Took about 15 minutes till it was very crisp and dark brown. ( this was very very smokey so grab an extra fan)  I left it with the fat side down and placed it in the preheated 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile I prepared the spinach.   I had to work in batches to wilt 2lbs of spinach in butter.  Afterwards I added mustard, creme fraiche and a bit of parmesan and pureed adding salt and pepper to taste.  This is probably the most rich, flavorful spinach I have EVER had!! 

Pulled the meat out of the oven and let rest for 15 min while Rob whipped up some mashed potato's.  In retrospect I would have pulled the meat out a little earlier but I can't complain one tiny bit about dinner that night.  The meat was so juicy and tender, with a bacon like crisp to the outside.  Delish!

Looks like Lamb but it's GOAT!!!!

So wholefoods has just started carrying GOAT.  I asked the butcher about it and when I used the word "gamey" he got very upset.  Note to self: don't use the word gamey, use "strong."  So I decided to give it a shot, I mean why the hell not!  I basically prepared it just like I would any other meat, let it sit out for an hour covered in a light layer of olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.  Then I seared it on high heat for about 3-4 min on one side, and 2 min on the other.  I roasted some broccoli and kale with garlic and to my delight the goat was amazing!!!  Not as "strong" as lamb which sometimes I can't take.  This was somewhere between an awsome piece of steak and lamb.  I was very surprised.  So I say go goat! Give it a try.

Cupcakes!!

Devils food cake with chocolate chips and vanilla buttercream frosting!



Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

yum yum yum yum yum

Veggie Chili & Jalapeño Pepper-Jack Scones

Everyone should make these scones - they were off the chain good and paired perfectly with the chili. I used a recipe that was adapted from the NY TImes that you can get HERE.



For the chili, I sauteed garlic, carrots and onions in veggie oil, then added zucchini, bell peppers, drained black and pinto beans, a T of cumin, 2 T of chili powder salt and pepper. I then added a big can of tomatoes with their juices, plus 2 cups of chicken stock and let that all simmer for about an hour.

I garnished the chili with sour cream, monterey jack cheese, chopped onion and cilantro.

Shrimp Scampi w/Lemon Spaghetti

LEMON SPAGHETTI
Ingredients
• Salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (10 or 12 leaves) fresh basil, very thinly sliced

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and drop the spaghetti into the pot.
Heat a large deep skillet over low heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.
When the pasta has been cooking about 5 minutes, add lemon juice, a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta and the cream to the garlic and oil. Raise heat a bit to bring sauce to a bubble.
Drain pasta when it still has a good bite to it, al dente. Add lemon zest and half of the cheese to the cream sauce. Season the sauce with salt, to taste. Add pasta to pan and turn off heat. Toss the pasta with sauce a minute or 2, allowing it time to soak up the sauce.
Top the plates of pasta or platter with remaining cheese, parsley and basil.

SHRIMP SCAMPI
Ingredients
1 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions
Put the shrimp on a large pie pan or plate and pat them completely dry with a paper towel. Arrange the shrimp so they lay flat and are evenly spaced.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the skillet. When the foaming subsides, raise the heat to high, and invert the plate of shrimp over the pan so the shrimp fall into the pan all at once. Cook the shrimp, without moving them, for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp over and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl.

Return the skillet to the heat and pour in the vermouth and lemon juice. Boil the liquid until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir the zest and parsley into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the shrimp, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

Divide the shrimp among 4 plates or arrange on a platter and serve