Meatless Monday: Summer Squash Quiche
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
“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
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.
What’s In Your Sandwich?
I hope its not that “fat-free mayo” in the easy squeeze bottle! Take a look at the actual ingredients from one of the major brands on supermarket shelves from coast to coast..
WATER, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SUGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, VINEGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, CELLULOSE GEL, NATURAL FLAVOR, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, EGG, YOLKS, XANTHAN GUM, MUSTARD FLOUR, LACTIC, CELLULOSE GUM, PHOSPHORIC ACID, VITAMIN E ACETATE, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, DRIED GARLIC, DRIED ONIONS, SPICE, YELLOW 6, BETA CAROTENE, BLUE 1, WITH POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA AS PRESERVATIVES.
Make your own real mayonnaise! It is delicious, inexpensive, healthy and and easy to make..
Adapted from a recipe by Sally Fallon
Makes 1 1/2 cups
1 whole farm-fresh egg at room temperature
1 farm-fresh egg yolk at room temperature
1 teaspoon homemade mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 1 med. lemon)
1 tablespoon whey
3/4 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil or expeller pressed sunflower oil (not canola)
generous pinch of sea salt
“Homemade mayonnaise imparts valuable enzymes, particularly lipase… The addition of whey will help your mayonnaise last longer, adds enzymes and increases nutrient content…”
In your food processor, place egg, egg yolk, mustard, salt, whey and lemon juice and process until well blended, about 30 seconds. With the motor running, add oil in a very slow, thin stream. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Allow to sit at room temperature for 7 hours before transferring to refrigerator. The mayonnaise will thicken as it stands.
Tuna Salad
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
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.
