Chile Relleno Egg Casserole
I ran across this intriguing recipe and was excited to find it uses up a LOT of eggs, something we have plenty of around here this time of year. It makes a delicious light supper, and the leftovers are yummy for breakfast the next morning!
Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 c. whole milk
1 tsp salt
8 poblano peppers, roasted, charred, and skins rubbed off
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 c. Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. tomato sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Whisk eggs with milk and salt. Split open poblanos, remove seeds and break into halves to lay them flat, and make a layer from half of them in the bottom of the baking pan.
Pour half of egg mixture on them, then add half the cheeses.
Make another layer of the rest of the peppers, egg mixture, and cheeses.
Pour tomato sauce over the top.
Bake for one hour, or until middle is set.
Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 c. whole milk
1 tsp salt
8 poblano peppers, roasted, charred, and skins rubbed off
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 c. Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. tomato sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Whisk eggs with milk and salt. Split open poblanos, remove seeds and break into halves to lay them flat, and make a layer from half of them in the bottom of the baking pan.
Pour half of egg mixture on them, then add half the cheeses.
Make another layer of the rest of the peppers, egg mixture, and cheeses.
Pour tomato sauce over the top.
Bake for one hour, or until middle is set.
Pie Crust
So I have gotten a request for my piecrust recipe. It's old fashioned, using ingredients available to most farm wives back in the day, before Crisco was invented as a way to use up cottonseed oil. (Was cotton ever meant to be a food plant?) But I digress...
For each crust:
1 c. white flour
1/3 c. lard
1/2 tsp. salt
So for a 2-crust pie, double ingredients.
Cut together until the texture looks like peas or coarse crumbs. Add 1/4 c. cold water (start with partial amount until you find what works with the lard you are using--they are not all the same) and mix with a fork. Gently! You don't want to develop the gluten. When you can gather it up in a ball, it is ready to roll out. I like to roll it out on a floured linen towel, with a stockinette on my rolling pin. That makes it easier to get into the pie pan.
For each crust:
1 c. white flour
1/3 c. lard
1/2 tsp. salt
So for a 2-crust pie, double ingredients.
Cut together until the texture looks like peas or coarse crumbs. Add 1/4 c. cold water (start with partial amount until you find what works with the lard you are using--they are not all the same) and mix with a fork. Gently! You don't want to develop the gluten. When you can gather it up in a ball, it is ready to roll out. I like to roll it out on a floured linen towel, with a stockinette on my rolling pin. That makes it easier to get into the pie pan.
Quiche Lorraine
Still looking for something to do with all those eggs? Here's another great classic. I use Jarlsberg for the Swiss cheese, and make my piecrust using lard to give it extra flakiness. This makes a wonderful lunch or light supper with a tossed green salad.
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
12 slices bacon 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup minced onion 4 eggs, beaten
2 cups light cream 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white sugar 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large skillet, and fry over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then chop coarsely. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion into pastry shell.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper. Pour mixture into pastry shell.
4 Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Allow quiche to sit 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
12 slices bacon 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup minced onion 4 eggs, beaten
2 cups light cream 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white sugar 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large skillet, and fry over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then chop coarsely. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion into pastry shell.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper. Pour mixture into pastry shell.
4 Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Allow quiche to sit 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
Balsamic Grilled Lamb Chops
10 lamb rib chops
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Place lamb chops in a shallow baking dish or resealable bag. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary, honey, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper and pour over chops. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat grill. Grill chops over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side on until browned to desired doneness.
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Place lamb chops in a shallow baking dish or resealable bag. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary, honey, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper and pour over chops. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat grill. Grill chops over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side on until browned to desired doneness.
Brussels Sprouts and Carrots
What to do with all those root cellared crops? I found this recipe some years ago and its first appearance of the season is on the Thanksgiving table. However, that is never its last appearance!
2 T. chopped shallot
3 T. butter, divided
1 lb carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 in. pieces
1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
1/2 c. water
1 T. cider vinegar
Cook shallot in 2 T butter in 12 inch heavy skillet over med-high heat, stirring occasionally until softened, 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, Brussels sprouts, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables begin to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add water, and cover skillet, and cook over med-high heat until all vegetables are tender, 5-8 minutes. Stir in vinegar, remaining butter, and salt and pepper to taste.
2 T. chopped shallot
3 T. butter, divided
1 lb carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 in. pieces
1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
1/2 c. water
1 T. cider vinegar
Cook shallot in 2 T butter in 12 inch heavy skillet over med-high heat, stirring occasionally until softened, 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, Brussels sprouts, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables begin to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add water, and cover skillet, and cook over med-high heat until all vegetables are tender, 5-8 minutes. Stir in vinegar, remaining butter, and salt and pepper to taste.
Oven "Fried" Chicken
Here's a chicken recipe that I tried this week, and it is now my new favorite!
1 chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
4 T. butter, melted
1.5 c. plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
1.5 c. flour
1/2 c. sesame seeds
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix yogurt and egg together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces with the yogurt/egg mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture. Arrange skin side up in a greased shallow pan (I use a 13x9x2 pan). Pour melted butter over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour. We had ours with baked beans (recipe to follow, someday) and a green salad!
1 chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
4 T. butter, melted
1.5 c. plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
1.5 c. flour
1/2 c. sesame seeds
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix yogurt and egg together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces with the yogurt/egg mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture. Arrange skin side up in a greased shallow pan (I use a 13x9x2 pan). Pour melted butter over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour. We had ours with baked beans (recipe to follow, someday) and a green salad!
Avgolemono Soup
What to do with all those spring eggs? We begin heralding spring with a not-so-traditional version of Avgolemono Soup.
2 qts chicken stock (made from Wild Rose Farm certified organic chickens, of course!)
1/2 lb orzo
2 eggs
3 T. Lemon juice
salt to taste
Cook orzo, drain. Heat stock to boiling, turn off heat. Add drained orzo. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with lemon juice until frothy. Add 1-2 cups hot stock to eggs in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Then pour the egg-stock mixture back into the soup. Stir gently so as to avoid "curdling" the eggs. (If they do, it makes absolutely no difference. The soup is delicious no matter what.)
Add more lemon juice or salt, depending on your preference.
2 qts chicken stock (made from Wild Rose Farm certified organic chickens, of course!)
1/2 lb orzo
2 eggs
3 T. Lemon juice
salt to taste
Cook orzo, drain. Heat stock to boiling, turn off heat. Add drained orzo. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with lemon juice until frothy. Add 1-2 cups hot stock to eggs in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Then pour the egg-stock mixture back into the soup. Stir gently so as to avoid "curdling" the eggs. (If they do, it makes absolutely no difference. The soup is delicious no matter what.)
Add more lemon juice or salt, depending on your preference.
Lamb Spiedies
Spiedies are a regional favorite in our area. They are essentially cubed meat marinated and then grilled on skewers. Numerous recipes abound, and the arguments can get pretty heated about marinades, meats, and bread. Here's my favorite version:
2 lbs cubed lamb
Marinade:
Whisk or stir together:
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon (or 1/3 c lemon juice)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. dried basil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
pinch dried oregano
Pour marinade over lamb cubes, refrigerate and marinate for at least 24 hours. I usually marinate mine for 3 days.
Skewer 5-6 pieces of lamb onto metal skewers and grill until done.
Using a piece of sturdy Italian bread (my favorite is Roma's, a local brand), fold bread around meat on skewer and pull off, creating a folded sandwich which cannot be set down. But that's okay, because you will want to devour it immediately!
2 lbs cubed lamb
Marinade:
Whisk or stir together:
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon (or 1/3 c lemon juice)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. dried basil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
pinch dried oregano
Pour marinade over lamb cubes, refrigerate and marinate for at least 24 hours. I usually marinate mine for 3 days.
Skewer 5-6 pieces of lamb onto metal skewers and grill until done.
Using a piece of sturdy Italian bread (my favorite is Roma's, a local brand), fold bread around meat on skewer and pull off, creating a folded sandwich which cannot be set down. But that's okay, because you will want to devour it immediately!
Egg Salad
I used to think everyone knew how to make egg salad, but cooking some of the simplest comfort foods seems to be a lost art. Last week I was in the store and the cashier and I struck up a conversation about egg salad, as he enthusiastically expounded on all the different ways he makes it. I got a couple of great tips from him: one, he makes up 12 eggs worth at a time, so it's handy in the fridge for a quick lunch/snack, and two, he adds dill weed. We came right home and tried it and declared it a winner! So here is my latest version of egg salad.
12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped (To hard-cook eggs, place eggs in saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water. Refresh several times, or add ice to chill quickly. This makes the eggs easier to peel, especially if they are farm-fresh.)
1 c mayonnaise
2 T dill weed
2 T chives
fresh ground pepper (I like lots!)
salt, to taste (I think there's enough in the mayo, but you may like more)
Mix it up, and refrigerate in a covered container.
12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped (To hard-cook eggs, place eggs in saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water. Refresh several times, or add ice to chill quickly. This makes the eggs easier to peel, especially if they are farm-fresh.)
1 c mayonnaise
2 T dill weed
2 T chives
fresh ground pepper (I like lots!)
salt, to taste (I think there's enough in the mayo, but you may like more)
Mix it up, and refrigerate in a covered container.
Chicken Broth
We sell our chickens whole, and I often hear the comment from folks that they feel there is too much wasted when purchasing a whole chicken. Nothing could be further from the truth! Once you have cut up your chicken into the usual 8 serving pieces, you are left with the chicken back, the neck, the liver, heart and gizzard. I save the livers separately, but once I have a few chicken's worth, I throw the backs, necks, hearts and gizzards into a pot, cover with water, and a little mineral salt (entirely optional, but salt does bring more flavor and nutrients out of the chicken bones). Then simmer for an hour or two or three or whatever. I try to make my chicken (and other) broths in the winter when the kitchen woodstove is already going anyway. All the recipe books I have ever read say to "skim the foam" that appears after a short while, but no recipe book has ever told me why, so, being a born skeptic, I never bother. After the broth looks broth-y, I strain it in a colander. If possible, I chill it overnight, and skim off the fat that hardens on top. If it's a gigantic batch, I can it (using pressure canning only) or freeze some. If it's just a quart or two, I make a batch of soup. I pick the meat off the bones and either add it to my soup, or freeze it for a future use: soup, burritos, chicken salad.
Last time I checked, grocery store chicken broth was going for about $4.00/quart, and it was full of unnecessary ingredients. Making broth doesn't require much effort, just a day at home, while it simmers gently on the back burner making the house smell like "home."
Last time I checked, grocery store chicken broth was going for about $4.00/quart, and it was full of unnecessary ingredients. Making broth doesn't require much effort, just a day at home, while it simmers gently on the back burner making the house smell like "home."