Savory Bread and Cheese Pudding

November 23, 2009 / Ren

Sprouted wheat and wild yeast sourdough bread, pastured eggs, fresh milk, spinach, onions, garlic, sweet peppers and aged cheeses..

A riff on a recipe by the Moosewood Collective

1 cup fresh whole milk
3 pastured eggs
2-3 pieces stale sprouted wheat bread
2-3 pieces stale wild yeast sourdough bread
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 sweet peppers, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups grated aged white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse-grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
butter

Whip milk into eggs, stir in mustard and season with cayenne, sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Tear bread into 1-inch cubes and place into a bowl. Sauté onions, peppers and garlic in butter over high heat until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Scrape into bowl with bread.

Cook spinach until wilted, about 1 minute. Squeeze out excess moisture, then add spinach to the bowl with the bread and onions. Add grated cheeses and toss all by hand to combine.

Transfer bread mixture to a buttered skillet and pour milk mixture over the top, pressing down with a spoon to coat the bread. Top with sliced Roma tomatoes, then cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

This post is in support of Meatless Monday, whose goal it is to goal is to help reduce
meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

Corn Spaghetti with Duck Egg Aioli

September 28, 2009 / Ren

Gluten-free, 100% corn spaghetti with fresh herbs, roasted vegetables and a rich duck egg aioli..

Corn Spaghetti with Duck Egg Aioli

Make a traditional aioli, substituting pastured duck eggs for chicken eggs, and using a bold garlic such as Chesnok red. Add minced fresh opal basil, oregano, frisée (curly endive), a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice and plenty of sea salt and cracked pepper. Set aside.

Boil one quart of filtered water with one teaspoon sea salt for every 4oz of corn spaghetti. Swirl the water, add the pasta and cook al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse. Keep warm.

Broil 3/4 inch-thick slices of heirloom tomato seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper until brilliant red and blistered. Hold in warm oven.

Meanwhile, quickly sauté onions and Italian roasting peppers in a bit of oil over high heat until just softened.

Toss the pasta with the sautéed vegetables, then stir in the aioli.

To serve, arrange pasta in the middle of a large plate and use a spatula to place the broiled tomato on top. Shave a little Pecorino over all and garnish with additional minced herbs.

: Corn Pasta with Egg Sauce

Mayan Banana Bread

September 20, 2009 / Ren

(you might also like this recipe for Maya Nut Cake)

With sprouted spelt flour, roasted Maya nut, mashed bananas, fresh milk, pastured butter and eggs, this moist, delicious bread looks, smells and tastes like chocolate and coffee although it contains neither.

Extremely high in Fiber, Calcium, Potassium, Folate, Iron, Zinc, Protein and Vitamins A, E, C and B, it is also high-fiber, low-gluten and easy to digest.

Try it with a little sweet, cultured butter, raw honey or Crème fraîche..

Mayan Banana Bread

For one loaf

6 oz. (by weight) sprouted spelt flour
2 oz. (by weight) organic, roasted Maya nut powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 oz. rapadura or other non-refined sweetener
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 oz. fresh whole milk
2 medium bananas, mashed
2 large pastured eggs
4 oz. pastured butter, melted

Combine the wet ingredients (whisked) and the dry ingredients separately, then fold the two together until just combined.

Pour batter into a buttered loaf pan, sprinkle with crushed Maya nuts (raw, soaked and dried) and bake on the middle rack of a 350 degree oven until a thin knife blade inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.

Allow to cool on a rack at least 25 minutes before slicing.

: Mayan Banana Bread

Learn more about the benefits of Maya nut

Salsa de Tomate Verde Asado

September 11, 2009November 14, 2016 / Ren

Time was when I’d come home at the end of the work week and just pull out a frozen pizza or microwave dinner and plop down in front of the TV.

Not anymore. Even when I don’t much feel like cooking or fiddling around with the camera or the blog (i.e., tonight), a simple, comforting meal is within reach because I only keep fresh, whole foods on hand. The TV? Gave it away years ago.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa..

Salsa de Tomate Verde Asado

Husk, rinse and halve fresh tomatillos. Place cut side down in a heavy skillet along with a few cloves of garlic, a jalapeño and a poblano chile. Brown well on both sides.

Seal the peppers inside a paper bag and allow the steam 15 minutes. Peel away most of the skin (leaving a few charred bits), split and remove stems and seeds.

Transfer peppers to the bowl of a food processor along with tomatillos, garlic and a handful of cilantro. Moisten with 1/4 cup or so of filtered water and pulse into a coarse puree.

Stir minced onion into the salsa and season to taste with sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Leftover salsa will keep 2-3 days in the fridge.

Bacon & Eggs

Fry uncured streaky bacon or pork belly with yellow onions until the onions are brown and the bacon is crisp.

Pour off all but a teaspoon of fat, then crack eggs directly into the pan and allow to set for just a moment.

Spoon roasted tomatillo salsa over the eggs and toss in some chopped cilantro. Stir and scramble to your preferred degree of doneness and serve with frijoles and fresh tortillas.

: Huevos con Tocino y Salsa Verde

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

Eggs Toscana

September 3, 2009 / Ren

Eggs Toscana

Fresh local eggs fried in a bit of cultured butter with chorizo, Italian grilling peppers, red & green onions, flat-leaf parsley and roasted salsa. Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding

August 21, 2009 / Ren

“Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’) is an ancient whole grain that has been cultivated in the Andes Mountains of South America for more than 5,000 years. Locally referred to as ‘chisaya mama’ or the ‘mother grain’, it kept the Incan armies strong and robust…”

Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding

1/2 cup black quinoa
6 oz fresh whole milk
2 oz fresh cream
2 pastured eggs
1/2 ripe mango, diced
1 modest pinch sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons non-refined sugar or raw honey
1 2-inch section vanilla bean, split and scraped

Rinse quinoa under filtered cold water to remove any debris.

Bring 6 oz fresh whole milk to a low boil.

Add vanilla bean and stir in quinoa and sugar, if using.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until almost all the milk has been absorbed, maybe 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk 2 eggs into 2 oz of cream, then slowly whisk the liquid into the quinoa.

Add the diced mango and return the quinoa to the burner over low heat and stir continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Quinoa pudding may be served warm or cold, as you prefer.

: Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding

Meatless Monday: Summer Squash Quiche

July 27, 2009 / Ren

Edible Aria has been reviewed by Meatless Monday

Yellow and green zucchini, bell peppers and scallions in an egg and cream custard with mace and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a whole wheat shell..

Summer Squash Quiche with Black Grapes and Beemster Garlic Cheese

For the pie dough (adapted from Michael Ruhlman)

6 oz whole wheat flour
4 oz (1 stick) pastured butter
1 oz filtered ice water
1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine the flour and butter in a mixing bowl and rub the butter into small beads. Add the ice water and salt and mix gently until just combined. Refrigerate 15 minutes until ready to roll out. Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness and place inside of a buttered glass or ceramic pie tin. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust to allow the steam to escape, then bake blind at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the filling

Lightly sauté sliced green and golden zucchini, scallions and bell peppers in a little olive oil until just softened. Seat aside to drain.

Mix together 4 pastured eggs, 1 cup fresh milk, 1 cup fresh cream, 1/2 teaspoon mace, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

To assemble

Spread the drained vegetables evenly on the bottom of the crust. Fill the shell with the custard mixture and bake at 325 degrees for about 75 minutes or until set in the middle. Don’t overcook.

Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Serve cold with a wedge of cheese and some fruit or reheat slices in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Breakfast Burritos

June 17, 2009 / Ren

“A chicken that in addition to grain has access to pasture and a natural diet of grasses, forbs, and insects produces eggs that are higher in nutrients. Pastured eggs have been found to contain less fat, less cholesterol, twice as much vitamin E, 40-62% more vitamin A and up to four times as much omega-3 fatty acids compared to the standard values reported by the USDA for commercial eggs. Pastured eggs also typically contain higher levels of carotenoids such as lutein and zexanthin.

The other great thing about pastured eggs is the taste! As soon as you crack one open you can tell-that deeply colored yolk carries with it an enhanced nutritional value, and a better, richer flavor.” LocalHarvest

Pastured eggs, chorizo, fresh peppers, onions and cilantro wrapped up in an organic paprika/cayenne tortilla..

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," Hippocrates.

Dice Spanish chorizo, red bell and pickled jalapeno peppers, slice green onions. Sauté in pastured butter with a little Mexican oregano over medium-low heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat fresh tortillas on a dry comal or skillet.

Crack eggs directly into pan with vegetables- rather than sticking, they should float over the thinnest of layers of butter and fat rendered from the sausage.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the eggs onto themselves several times, allowing them to spread back out in between times until set, about 4 minutes.

Arrange mixture in the center of a tortilla (I’ve spread a little chili con queso on mine), fold the edges inward then roll up like a fat cigar. Pico de gallo makes a great side.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

Schmaltz, Gribenes and Chopped Liver

June 14, 2009 / Ren

Its hard to take a pretty picture of chopped liver, but this nutritional power food is one of my favorites.

Schmaltz is a Yiddish term for rendered chicken fat. Gribenes are the cracklings, a byproduct of schmaltz. Both are used in making this traditional chopped liver spread..

Remove the skin and trim the fat from a few joints of chicken and place into a heavy skillet over low heat. Cover and cook 15 minutes, then remove cover and continue to cook until all the fat has melted and the skin is opaque, about 15 minutes more. Pour off the rendered fat (this is the schmaltz) into a clean container and set aside. Transfer cooked skin to cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle.

Chop onions and mince reserved chicken skin. Cook in the same pan over medium-low heat, stirring often until well browned, about 15 minutes (these are the gribenes); add fresh thyme if desired. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a cutting board and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, hard boil and cool and peel a couple of pastured eggs.

Add reserved schmaltz to the pan, increase the heat to medium and add the rinsed and cleaned chicken livers. Fry until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove to the cutting board until cool enough to handle.

It is important to use only fresh, pastured chicken livers; what you find in the supermarket is generally full of chemicals and antibiotics.

Chicken livers are a good source of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium.

Mound together the eggs, livers and gribenes and chop through as if you were chopping parsley.

To serve, pile chopped liver on top of toasted rye or sourdough, season with lots of kosher salt and black pepper and dress with chopped eggs and parsley accompanied by a selection of tidbits such as gherkins, olives and yellow tomatoes.

Tuna Salad

November 28, 2008 / Ren

Chopped egg, cucumber, scallions, pickled ginger, shaved fennel, black and white sesame seeds, spinach, lemon wasabi, sashimi-grade ahi, sesame oil and shoyu.

Toss the salad ingredients together and moisten with a little brown rice vinegar. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Briefly marinate the tuna in shoyu with a little sesame oil while the skillet heats.

Sear the tuna over medium-high heat for two minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes.

Plate the salad and top with sliced tuna. Dress with wasabi and a scant amount of the marinade.

Rating ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Curried Egg Salad Sandwiches

November 2, 2008 / Ren

Red onion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, curry powder, eggs, celery and cilantro.

Place eggs into pan and cover with cold water. Turn heat on high. As soon as the water begins to boil, cover the pan and remove from the heat. Allow to sit precisely 10 minutes (f you want to see a perfect soft-boiled egg, pull one out at 6 minutes. Top it and season with S & P).

Pour off the hot water and transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water. Allow to sit until thoroughly cooled, at least 10 minutes. Tap egg on counter and roll back-and-forth. Beginning from the large end, peel the shell away in a near-continuous strip. Yeah, right.

Dice eggs and add the rest of the ingredients and toss with a fork until just combined. Adjust seasoning with S & P if needed.

Serve with field greens on toasted pumpernickel. The egg salad isn’t actually green, by the way- that’s just a photo/lighting anomaly.

Because I’m weird, though, I eat my egg salad sandwiches with lots of Mexican hot sauce.