Quick & Easy A Frittata Can Be Elegant & Satisfying

As I have mentioned before, my husband has been a great source of knowledge about Western cooking. Through him I have learned much about the wonderful yield of a crock pot and a convection oven as well as about cuts of meat such as roasts, steaks, ribs, the wide variety of hams and sausages, the incredible beauty of a good marrow bone, and the amazing large dinners that often feature two or three kinds of starchy foods. However, those large dinners are for special occasions. When we dine alone, we almost always opt for simple and easy to prepare dishes. One of these I especially like is a frittata. They are quick and easy. Served with a glass of wine, a crusty baguette and some salad, they can be as soul satisfying as their close cousins, the omellete, quiche, or pizza. The beauty of these dishes is their nature of being a blank canvas, receptive to almost any ingredient we have on hand (though we tend to avoid peanut butter and canned tuna). Here is the latest verson of a frittata my husband made just last Saturday evening.

This dish was featured on Asian Food Channel (Official)

facebook page on 24 July 2012

 

Serving: 4


Ingredients:


(use your own imagination here) various mushrooms, cleaned and sliced to fill 1 1/2 cups six eggs
two or three dashes of soy sauce
3/4 cup shredded emmantel cheese
3 tblspns whole milk
2 tblspns water
3 medium shallots, sliced thin
1 ounce sweet saki
1 whole diced bell pepper (capsicum)
2 small or (one large) tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (pepperoncin)
2 tablespoons 2 or 3 long stem chives, sliced in 1/4 inch lengths (for color and flavor on top) arugula or mustard greens (for color and flavor on top)
2 tablespoons regular olive oil

Method:

In a large mixing bowl add six eggs, soy sauce and water and whisk vigorously to incorporate air. (Hint: a large bowl should result in a shallow mixture that more readily allows the air bubbles to develop. An electric hand mixer can reduce the labor.) Set aside. In a ten inch non-stick pan add olive oil and heat over a medium flame. Add olive oil and sliced shallots, fry until just approaching transparency Add mushrooms, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes stirring frequently until all are tender and shallots show very slight caramelization Without removing the contents, deglaze pan with the saki, stirring and scraping the bottom vigorously for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and cook for one more minute Giving one last vigorous whisk, add egg mixture to the pan and reduce flame to low. Cover pan with a lid or aluminum foil with the reflective side facing in Check pan contents frequently. Using a spatula to lift an edge of the frittata will allow you to check the bottom. Your looking for the top to approach firmness and the bottom to become golden brown. Timing is critical. With the top half inch of the frittata still slightly liquid, add shredded cheese, spreading evenly across the surface. Replace cover and cook until cheese melts, approximately 1 minute. Toss chives across the surface and lace with fresh ground black and red pepper to taste Replace cover and cook for one more minute or until firm on top. Turn off flame and allow to set for two - three minutes. The frittata can be loosened with a large plastic spatula and slid on to a serving plate or served directly from the frying pan using a plastic pie wedge spatula. Serve with a tossed salad and crusty bread. Serves four as a simple main course or six as a starter.

QPC grilled vegetables in balsamic vinegar and basil - Featured in Group Recipes

I post this recipe specially for my very good friend, Seok Eng. She is the kindest person I have ever known. I am so blessed to have a friend like her. Her youngest daughter is now studying in London and like all mothers, she is always thinking of how to ensure that her children eat well and stay healthy. So, the other day, when I was with her, we talked about what food she can cook that can be frozen when she visits her daughter next week. Her love and devotion for her children led me to think of the following quote by Washington Irving.

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
-- Washington Irving

Although this is a common dish, everyone has their own version, and this is the QPC version. Once you make a batch of grilled vegetables, you can use it in so many ways. For example, it can be used as the filling for grilled cheese sandwiches, it can be tossed with pasta, or served simply as an anti pasto with an Italian meal. Grilled vegetables can be frozen and it will stay good for at least 3 months. A favorite of mine is a grilled vegetable omellete. It is delicious if you add some to your green leafy salad. Put it in a nice bottle and it makes a great gift. Grilled vegetables are tasty, pretty, and healthy. What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:

1 yellow squash

1 green capsicum

1 orange capsicum

2 red capsicum

4 heads of garlic with skin

1 medium white onion 3 tbs balsamic vinegar (can be more according to individual taste)

(A)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ts salt

½ ts freshly grinded black pepper

½ ts dried basil

Method:

Wash and dry all the vege. Grill all the capsicum in whole in a microwave oven set to grill for 20 mins. After 15 mins, put in the garlic. Leave them in the oven till they are cold enough to touch before removing the skin and seeds. Grill yellow squash in a grill pan for about 8 mins till it is soft but not mushy. On a frying pan sautee white onion till they are translucent and put them in a mixing bowl. In a sauce pan simmer the balsamic vinegar from 3 tbs to 2tbs and set aside to let it cool. Put all grilled vegetables in a big mixing bowl. In another medium bowl add reduced balsamic vinegar and (A). Whisky slightly to be ready to pour over the grilled vegetables. This dish taste better the next day. To be served at room temperature.