Spinach and Eggplant Frittata

Breakfast for dinner isn't only about pancakes.  There are plenty of brunch foods that are great for a late-summer dinner.

This was a fantastic idea on a hot day until I realized I like to finish my frittatas under the broiler.  Yes, I could have skipped that step, but it toasts up the cheese and makes sure the middle sets.  By then, I had cracked all the eggs, so it just happened.

The additional sides in this mezze meal that I didn't blog this week were tomato and garlic confit to zing up the frittata and pickled tomatoes (not green, about half ripe) as a way to cut all the oil in the rest of the meal.

Olive oil as needed
1 C diced onion
1 small or Japanese eggplant (8 oz), grated
1 C frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp dried tarragon
*1/2 tsp dried cilantro
4 eggs
1/2 C milk
*1/4 C grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

1.  In a 12" skillet, drizzle about 2 Tb olive oil and heat over medium.  Add the diced onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.  That will give you time to grate the eggplant.  I fully intended to do it on the box grater, then realized I was getting out the processor anyway for the dip and put on the shredding disc.  Same amount of time, when you consider washing the extra blade and lid, but easier on my arm.

2.  Add eggplant and spinach to the skillet.  Sprinkle with the salt and tarragon.  Allow to cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant has wilted and most of the liquid is gone.  Set aside.

3.  In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.  Frittatas traditionally have less milk in them than you would expect.  They also are not beaten very much.  Just get them to evenly mixed.  If they're frothy, the whole thing will rise, collapse, and get rubbery.

4.  Add the slightly cooled vegetable mixture to the eggs and stir to combine.  Wipe out the skillet and drizzle with oil to coat the bottom.  The nonstick on my 12" is shot, so I did it in two batches in the omelette pan.  Preheat over medium-low and get the oven broiler going.

5.  Add mixture to the warm skillet.  Once it starts to set, cover and cook for 10 minutes.  It can still be slightly wet on top, but should not jiggle excessively when shaken.  Remove lid, sprinkle with cheese, and place under the broiler for 5 minutes, to toast the cheese.

6.  Remember to wear oven mitts when you remove the pan from the oven.  Allow to cool in the pan a few minutes, to set the egg, then loosen with a spatula before sliding off onto a board.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Difficulty rating  :)

Tattie Scones

I had never heard of these Scottish favorites until they came up on my YouTube feed.  I made a double batch of mashed potatoes for a cottage pie just so I would have leftovers to try the recipe.

They're super basic.  Potatoes, butter, salt, and flour.  If you don't use self-rising flour, then baking powder.  The recipe I'm using from Christina's Cucina has it as a simple ratio.  I ended up with 3/4 pound of mash, which made 12 scones the size I cut them.  Maybe they're supposed to be smaller.  Dimensions were not given.  I'm calling a pound of potatoes 8 servings.  So, cut this in half if you want four servings.  I put the rest in the freezer.

As for the taste, they're a lot like pan-fried gnocchi, or very soft naan.  The limited gluten keeps them from being too much like a biscuit.  You can definitely taste the potato.  I wouldn't call them scones in the traditional sense.  They're more like a great way to turn leftover mashed potatoes into a breakfast bread.

1 lb russet or Yukon potato
1/2 C self-rising flour, or A.P. flour + 2 tsp baking powder, plus more for the board
2 Tb unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in cubes
1/2 tsp kosher salt 

1.  Peel the potatoes.  I don't peel anything unless I have to, but this really does help the consistency.  Cut into 1/2" cubes and place in a saucepan with water to cover.  Bring to a low boil, lower heat to just over a simmer, and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  Drain.

2.  You can rice the potatoes if you want, but I always mash as whipped potatoes in the stand mixer with the paddle.  This can even be done by hand, if the potatoes are done enough.  Add the salt and butter and mix until smooth.  If you want to add any seasonings or herbs, this is the point you would do it.  I made this first attempt plain.

3.  Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, stir in the flour (and baking powder) until incorporated.  Knead slightly to create a smooth dough.  Divide into 4 portions and start heating a dry skillet over medium-high.

4.  Lightly flour a work surface.  Roll each portion out into a disc 1/4" thick, sprinkling with flour as needed to keep the rolling pin from sticking.  Cut each round into 4 or 6 pieces, according to your preference.  Carefully move the wedges to the skillet and cook in batches, about five minutes on each side, until golden.

5.  You can serve the tatties as is, but it is traditional to reheat them in the grease from your breakfast meat.  I put a dab of bacon grease in the pan in the morning and reheated them that way.  Simply toasting is fine.

Serves about 8

Difficulty rating  :)

Millet and Sweet Potato Porridge (Congee)

I spent a couple of weeks mixing up my breakfast routine.  I did some overnight steel-cut oats in the Crockpot, then wondered if I could do something similar with millet.  Turns out it's an Asian recipe, though often made with rice.  Most recipes for it are Chinese, but even Google's AI didn't want to commit to that.

Looking at the recipes, I was skeptical about the amount of water to millet.  Then I checked on the pot in the middle of the night, and you really do need a minimum of four times the volume of water to grains.  If you want it more soupy, it's going to take at least three cups, plus the liquid from the can of sweet potatoes.

*1/2 C millet
*1 15 oz can sweet potatoes with their liquid
2 C water, or to desired consistency
1 Tb brown sugar, or to taste
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1.  Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and stir to combine.  Set to the lowest setting, which is "keep warm" on a Crockpot, for 8 hours as an overnight thing, or Low for 4 hours if you will be tending it.

2.  Stir, add more water or even milk as necessary, and turn up the heat to Low for an hour if you did the overnight version.  This will make sure the millet is fully cooked and break up any remaining chunks of sweet potato.  Serve hot.

Serves 3-4

Difficulty rating  π

Pesto Chickpea and Vegetables

It's the last of the green onion pesto!!!  That took a full year to use.  I promise not to do that to myself again.

I took this idea from Spain On A Fork and ran with it.  To simplify matters, we're calling this pesto out of a jar.  It was a fast, summery meal that was easy to put together before work and let marinate in the fridge until dinner time.  It would also make a nice lunch salad.  You can serve it warm, but I was in the mood for a cold dinner.  Don't warm it much above room temperature, or the cheese in the pesto will melt and get stringy.

*1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 lb Roma tomatoes
*8oz frozen artichoke hearts or quarters, thawed
1/2 red onion
1 C kalamata olives (about half a jar)
*1 C pesto
Feta, pine nuts, fresh basil, or other garnishes to finish

1.  Rinse the chickpeas and place in a large bowl.  Make sure the artichoke pieces are bite-sized and add them to the bowl.

2.  Slice the tomatoes into wedges or large chunks.  I wanted all the components to be a different size and shape in this salad.  You can cut them however large or small you like.  Add to the bowl.

3.  Peel and wash the onion half.  Slice stem to root ends and slice.  I did French cut, but anything smaller than a full ring is fine.  Add that and the drained olives to the bowl.

4.  Toss the salad.  Add the pesto and toss again until everything is coated evenly.  Serve immediately for room temperature, or chill for later.  Garnish with feta, nuts, herbs, or even more olives.

Difficulty rating  π

Kefta Burgers

I got out the grill for the first time this year.  Oof, it needed a cleaning.

I did a recipe for keftas way-way back in the early days of the blog, but that was for the traditional version.  This time, I made them burger sized and put them on the grill.  I make them mostly the same as I did 15 years ago, but all recipes evolve.  And I had a super huge green onion from the garden to work with, so this one's onion-heavy.

In the theme of making this a garden meal, I had my burgers with chard and a cucumber-mint soup that used up the rest of the green onion and some cucumbers I had in the fridge.  Not exactly a typical 4th of July barbecue, but it worked for me.

1 lb ground lamb
*1 C finely chopped green onion
*1/4 C finely chopped parsley
*1/4 C finely chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
4 hamburger buns, for serving

1.  In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  Knead well to distribute the seasonings evenly.  Chill for an hour for the flavors to meld while you heat up the grill.

2.  Form meat into four patties.  Set on the grill.  Every grill is different, and uses a different type of heat.  Even two piles of charcoal will produce different results.  With the lid closed, my burgers took ten minutes per side to get to medium doneness.  They're ready to flip when they come off the grate easily.  That's how you know you have char.  You can also temp them to about 160º.  Remember, ground meat should be a higher internal temperature than steaks or roasts.

3.  Serve on the buns, toasted if desired.  I considered a tahini dressing, then decided to have them naked.  I didn't even put any veggies on it.  Dress them as desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Chicken Risotto with Kale

I'm trying to add more home-canned food to the rotation.  It isn't meant to sit on a shelf and be pretty.  That's a waste of money and my time.  This idea got down two pints of broth and one of chicken.  Then I cut back the kale and made a Tuscan-themed risotto.  The kale seedlings I gave to my boss are thriving, so I can't unload the extras on her anymore.

When I was putting the risotto back in the pantry, I saw their recipe on the back of the package.  It was almost identical to what I planned to make, as far as the rice part was concerned.  That made me feel better.  I was adding kale, chicken, and herbs.

2 Tb butter
2 Tb olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 tsp celery salt
*1/4 tsp white pepper
*1 tsp dried tarragon
*1 C arborio rice
1/4 C white wine, optional
*4 C chicken broth, low sodium or unsalted
*2 bunches kale, de-stemmed and chopped
*1 12-14 oz can chicken
*1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

1.  In a small saucepan, bring the broth up to a simmer.  Keep it warm, put a ladle in it, and put it near the burner where you're going to make the rest of the recipe.

2.  In a large saucepan or soup pot, melt the butter and oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the celery salt, white pepper, and tarragon and stir to combine.  Add the rice and stir to coat.

4.  If using wine, add and allow it to cook off.  Start to ladle in the broth half a cup at a time.  Stir and allow the rice to absorb it over about five minutes, stirring often, before adding more.

5.  About halfway through the broth process, stir in the kale.  It takes a while to cook, and will affect the amount of liquid in the rice.

6.  When you get to the last ladle of broth, the rice should be cooked al dente and somewhat creamy.  Add the can of chicken, stir everything together, and taste to adjust the seasonings.  Every broth is different, and brings something new to the dish.

7.  Remove from heat, stir in the cheese, and serve hot.  Garnish with more cheese and/or herbs.

Difficulty rating  :)

Ful Medames

This is one of the most famous dishes out of Egypt.  It's the reason I was looking for fava beans.  Making it with limas here.  Cannellini and butter beans would also work.  Really, any bean is fine to use, but it's designed for one of the larger legumes.  It's also a very quick dish to make, perfect for those short on time to cook dinner.

The recipe I chose to follow is mild.  I didn't omit the chiles or any other spice.  If you do want heat, sink a couple of hot peppers into the mix.  The short cooking time really doesn't lend itself to absorbing the flavor, but leftovers will be spicy.  A sliced jalapeño or cayenne powder will do more for an immediate kick.

The original recipe classifies this as an appetizer, so I added that label to the list.  It's eaten at any time of day for any course except dessert.  I'm using it as a vegan main.  Garnishes can go from basic (olive oil, more chopped cilantro) to elaborate (tomatoes, fresh vegetables, chopped cooked meat, cheese).

For the average American diner, I'm calling this a four-serving recipe, about a generous half cup per person.  If you can handle more fiber, it's really 2-3.

1 15 oz can fava beans or any similar large bean; or 3/4 C dry
2 Tb olive oil, plus more for garnish
*2 tsp minced garlic
*2 green onions, sliced
1/2 C water, or as desired
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried parsley
2 Tb fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish if desired
*Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 Tb)

1.  If making the beans from dry, soak for 8 hours, then drain.  With fresh water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until very tender.  You need to be able to mash them a bit.  Drain.  For canned, drain and rinse.

2.  In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium.  Cook the green onions and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the cumin, paprika, salt, and dried parsley and cook another minute, until fragrant.

3.  Add the water and beans.  Bring to a low boil and cook 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld.  Mash some of the beans so they thicken the sauce.  Stir in the 2 Tb fresh cilantro and lemon juice and allow everything to come to temperature.  Serve hot, with garnishes as desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Mezze-Filled Calzones (A Tale of Leftovers)

This was going to be pizzas.  Then I realized I had extra sauce and decided to do them this way, with the red sauce as a dipper and the pesto inside.

Some people draw a blank about how to repurpose leftovers.  I hate wasting food, and only do it if it's obviously spoiled or I suspect it of having made me ill.  That's very rare.  In this house, leftovers get frozen in lunch portions or turned into something new.  That's often stir fry, soup, burritos, or pizza.  Sometimes quiche, but I'm still traumatized by the price of eggs.  I'm learning how to make casseroles. 

When the amounts in the new mezze recipes I tried ended up being far too much for the four servings I planned, they turned into the "pizza" toppings on my meal plan.  Folding them into calzones happened when it looked like there was too much for just a pizza topping, plus wanting to use the dipping sauce.  I didn't use up quite everything, so it went back into the freezer to throw into some Sloppy Joes a week later, which kind of turned into Sloppy Moussaka because of the eggplant and mozzarella.

I got a little fancy with the crust, kind of turning it into an onion bagel to use up a green onion.  Most onion bagel dough has poppy seeds in it so the bakers can tell it apart from plain dough, since finely diced yellow onions are invisible in dough.  I considered putting parmesan in it too, but there's already two kinds of cheese on the inside.

Part of keeping a frugal pantry that saves you money and doesn't waste food is finding ways to use what you already have.  The calzones were really good and exactly what I wanted at the time.  Yes, I made the dough from scratch and the whole thing took close to three hours, but I did not go grocery shopping at all to make this meal.  In fact, the only thing I ended up needing that entire week was fruit to go in my yogurt.  Look at what you have before deciding what to make all week, and you'd be surprised to see how much you can save.

Whipped Feta Dip

The stuffed onions were part of the protein for my mezze dinner, but I wanted another half-protein.  I could have done hummus or tzatziki, and even bought the cucumber.  Then I found this by accident while researching mezze ideas and decided to add it to my dip repertoire.

The recipe I'm following is a blank canvas.  The simple dip tastes great on its own, but you can jazz it up to fit your menu.  Use chili flakes for spice.  Dill to put on top of fish.  The photo is sumac and rosemary.  Another serving had horseradish stirred into it.  It's all about making it your own.

8 oz feta
*3/4 C Greek yogurt
2 Tb olive oil
*2 Tb lemon juice
*1 clove garlic
herb and spice garnishes of choice

1.  Peel the garlic and put everything in the food processor.  Pulse at first, then run to desired consistency.  I went for still a little chunky.  It was kind of like small-curd cottage cheese, but less runny.

2.  If desired, stir in any herbs or spices.  Store refrigerated until ready to use.

Makes 2 cups

Difficulty rating  π

Marinated Eggplant

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  Here's my whole mezze meal.  The eggplant is to the left of the cucumbers.

They do sell this canned in Mediterranean sections of the market, or with the pickles and condiments in better markets.  I wanted to learn how to do it in case imported convenience versions are unavailable this summer.

My eggplant bush died.  I suspect a plant disease.  I only got a couple of eggplants off it anyway.  I need to think of something to put in the pot.  That's a big piece of garden real estate not to have something in it.  Maybe carrots.  Where I was going with this is that eggplants have gotten expensive.  I'll have to decide if it costs more to buy them or try not to kill a starter plant.

You're going to use a lot of olive oil on this one.  Eggplants soak it up.  I'm going to post a half recipe of what I made.  It was so much, I put some in the calzones I saved the onions for.

1 eggplant

1/4 C olive oil, plus a whole lot more as needed

*3 Tb lemon juice

*2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1.  Slice the eggplant into thin slices, less than half an inch thick.  Brush both sides with olive oil while you heat up a foil-lined grill or large skillet over medium-high heat.  This is really a grilling recipe, but you can absolutely do it on the stove.

2.  Arrange slices on cooking surface.  Cook until tender, turning as needed.  This does take a while, like 20+ minutes if you're doing it in batches.

3.  While the slices are cooking, whisk together the other 1/4 C oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

4.  Toss cooked slices in the dressing.  Allow to chill at least 6 hours before serving.  Store refrigerated in a non-reactive container, preferably glass.  Plastic picks up flavors.  Serve as a condiment, sandwich topping, or tapas.

Difficulty rating  :)

Khubz Arabi (Arabic Pocket Bread)

Once I had decided to go all-out on a tapas meal, making my own flatbreads seemed like a logical extension.  This recipe out of Mideast & Mediterranean is the yeast version of pitas.  I was already making bread that week, and turned it into a baking day.  Time to restock flour.

I did make some minor alterations to the recipe.  First, I cut it in half and still got 12 flatbreads.  I also added a mere teaspoon of sugar to the dough, to help out the yeast and make things go faster.  It isn't enough for flavor or to make the breads brown.  And the problem with using a recipe from 1993 is that cooking has evolved a bit, so I subbed olive oil instead of canola.  The method of adding ingredients is more how I prefer to do it, rather than how it was written.

Being a modern version of an ancient recipe, I decided to do this one by hand.  Definitely reminded me why I make breads in the stand mixer.  Five extra minutes of kneading later, I got the dough I wanted.

1-1/4 C 100º water
1 tsp sugar
1 pkg or 2-1/4 tsp yeast
3+ C flour
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tb olive oil

1.  Add water to a medium bowl.  Sprinkle with the sugar and yeast and stir to combine.  Allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add 1 C flour and stir into a batter.  Add another cup of flour and the salt to make a very soft dough.  Stir in the third cup of flour and the oil and knead into a shaggy dough.

3.  Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed.  Dough should not be dry, but it shouldn't be excessively sticky.  Grease the bowl you mixed in with a few drops of oil.  Form the dough into a ball, turn over in the oil, and cover lightly.  Place in a warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.

4.  Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces.  By weight, mine came out to a little over 2 ounces per flatbread.  Round into little balls, cover, and allow to rest 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375º and grease or line three baking sheets.  (Or 2 and reuse one)

5.  Using a dusting of flour on the board and the top of the dough, flatten each ball and roll out into a 6" round.  It's going to be very thin, and you're going to wonder how that possibly makes a hollow pocket bread.  Place four on each baking sheet.

6.  Bake 10-12 minutes, until puffed up.  What I didn't understand is that they are pretty much done at that point, and you have to pull them out or they'll stay that way like a puffed cracker.  They do not have to brown.  I was able to salvage them by spritzing with water on both sides and microwaving for ten seconds.   Once cool enough to touch, place in a plastic bag to finish cooling so they don't dry out.  If not serving immediately, refrigerate because of the humidity in the bag.  To fill, cut in half and open the pocket.

Makes 12 pocket breads

Difficulty rating  :)

Quinoa-Stuffed Onions (Sogan Dolmasi)

I really shouldn't have planned an elaborate mezze meal on a closing day, so I made sure all the recipes could be morning prep or cooked the day before.  That turned this into a pretty awesome, cold Saturday-night dinner that I ended up dressing up for and eating out on the patio on china, which I have never done.  I really hate eating outdoors, but this made it feel like I was on vacation after a long day on my feet.  Didn't like the sun in my eyes, though.  If I do it again, it will be for breakfast or lunch.

These stuffed onions are my own version of a Turkish recipe.  I used quinoa instead of half of the rice to give a protein boost.  Basically, the part that would be ground meat if it was a meat-stuffed tapa.  I never did find pomegranate molasses, even at Sorrento, and didn't feel like a trip to the Middle Eastern market or Western Kosher, so I used a combination of date syrup and balsamic vinegar to mimic the flavor profile.

I expected this to be a lot harder than it is.  While the onions were boiling and then cooling, I made the filling.  Stuffing them was so much easier than rolling up cabbage.  The onion layers curl themselves around it into a shell-pasta shape with very little effort.  Now that I mention pasta shells, I bet you could use the onion wraps as a keto/GF way to make them.

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients in this one.  They're worth it.

For the onions

3 large onions (yellow or sweet)
1/2 C dry rice
*1/2 C dry quinoa
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 T dried
*1/2 tsp dried mint
*2 Tb currants, optional
3/4 tsp Aleppo pepper or dried chili flakes, optional
1/2 tsp each allspice, oregano, and kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1 Tb pomegranate syrup, or 2 tsp date syrup and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 
2 Tb olive oil

For the sauce

1 C tomato sauce
1 C hot water
1 Tb pomegranate syrup, or 2 tsp date syrup and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 
1/2 Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Cut off the root and stem ends of the onions and peel.  Carefully cut once to the center of each onion, pole to pole.

2.  Boil the onions for 10-15 minutes, until they look like they're opening up.  Drain and allow to cool until you can handle them.  Gently peel apart all the concentric layers.  The cores can be used for other purposes, such as broths.  I went ahead and baked mine with the stuffed ones to use the following week on calzones.

3.  While the onions are cooking and cooling, make the filling and sauce.  The sauce is easy.  Just stir together all ingredients and set aside for the solids to dissolve.  For the filling, rinse the rice and quinoa until no longer "soapy", usually 3 good rinses.  In a bowl, combine them with the remaining filling ingredients.  I skipped the spicy part, but added the currants.  Some versions have you par-boil the rice.  I was using brown rice instead of jasmine, and probably could have given them ten minutes on the stove first.  I just baked the dish a little longer.

4.  Preheat the oven to 375º.  Spoon a generous tablespoon of filling into each onion layer.  Loosely close the dolma, allowing the natural curve of the onion layer to wrap itself.  Place, seam-side down, in an 8x8 baking dish.  Repeat until all the filling is used, anywhere from 10-14 pieces depending on how you spoon your portions.

5.  Pour the sauce over the onions.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and baste the onions.  Cook uncovered until the sauce reduces, another 30 minutes or so.  Serve warm or hot, drizzled with the sauce.

Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a side or appetizer

Difficulty rating  :)