Egg White ‘Huevos Rancheros’ Verdes: The Perfect Dinner Omelet?
April 14th, 2010 § 1 Comment
My approach to cooking at home seems to hinge on few simple principles – layers of flavor, harmony in contrasts, and improvisation. It’s not like I set out to achieve them; they sort of just developed over time.
Tonight was a perfect example of these principles in action. I knew I wanted to make salsa verde with the handful of tomatillos and jalapenos I had bought on my trip to the Coral Gables farmers market on Sunday. Plump and light green, I husked the 6 tomatillos and threw them into the food processor along with a whole (not cored) jalapeno, a whole green bell pepper (cored,) and generous wedge of red onion.
Peeking into the refrigerator, I discovered that the cilantro and parsley I was expecting to find was no longer there! But, wait! We had bundles of fresh basil. In a bunch of whole leaves went, torn from their stems. I hit the on button and let the veggies and herbs process, with a little bit of water run down the shute. The mixture became pulpy, solids clumping and separating from liquid once it was throughly blended. So dropped in a small, ripe hydroponic tomato, and while it whizzed again – stealing a page from the Spanish – I drizzled in some fresh extra virgin olive oil to slightly emulsify, like a gazpacho. Some generous hits with kosher salt followed.
The texture was sublime. Silky in fact. And the taste, well — my taste buds were fooled. There could have been cilantro and parsley in there! I could have named it chilled basil soup and maybe even put it on a spa menu. Not too strong, but a subtle, basil flavor with hints of each green vegetable coming through, supported by just the right amount of red onion. But tonight it would not stand alone.
I usually make my omelets for breakfast with egg whites, a little thyme, and some grated parmigiano reggiano. Maybe diced fresh tomato folded in at the end, or some lightly sauteed shallots. If you’re like me, you like eggs all the time – doesn’t matter what time of day or what meal. When I have them for dinner, they end up on the plate a little more complex than they do when I’m just rolling out of bed. The experimental salsa verde would tonight therefore land on top of 5 lightly pan-fried egg whites, folded over a chunky hass avocado salad of diced cucumbers, red onion, fresh tomato, a few squeezes of lemon, kosher salt, and lots of freshly and finely ground black pepper.
A few notes on how I make omelets. No beating. No milk or cream. Just the whites separated from the yolks. They hit a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the whites begin to turn opaque at the base, pull one side in at a time with a silicon spatula and tilt the pan so the raw and translucent whites slide over onto the hot surface. After four sides and been drawn and tilted, flip once, add desired fillings, and remove from heat almost immediately, folding over the contents as the bundle slides onto a plate.
Tonight’s omelet, hot and straight from the pan, with its creamy, cool interior and generous streak of basil salsa verde was then topped with raw, fresh micro sprouts. Some toasted garlic naan from the grocery store gladly scooped and sopped up this farmers market-bought dish. The result was so tasty and satisfying. A contrast in flavors, textures, and temperatures. This is definitely going to be my go-to omelet for a while. If you like, grate some Idiazabal cheese on top, right before showering the omelet with sprouts.
First Night of Channukah Dinner in Pictures: String Bean and Soft Lettuce Salad, then Panade-Stuffed Vegetables… All from Teena’s Pride CSA
December 12th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
First things first!
White onion and shallots caramelize in a pan that is deglazed with red white.
Slice a large eggplant length-wise and scoop out the center. Save the flesh, seeds and all, in a bowl. Also hollow out a large sunburst squash, discarding the seeds this time, but saving the flesh from the wall. Leave about 1/2 inch thickness with both vegetables.
Soak crusty multigrain bread in cream until absorbed.
Blend the veggie centers with the onion mixture in a food processor. Add a few chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano, to blend in there, too.
Roughly chop fresh, juicy ripe tomatoes and add to a bowl with the torn, cream-soaked bread and processed onion and vegetable mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and a bunch of turns of fresh cracked pepper.
Tear some fresh basil and add that, too.
Stir to evenly incorporate all ingredients.
Fill up the hollowed-out veggies with the mixture, grate some more Parmigiano Reggiano on top, cut some fresh garlic chives, and drizzle with a little extra virgin good olive oil. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Take a peek after 20 minutes and if they are browning too quickly, cover with tin foil for the remaining 10 minutes.
Make a yummy salad while the stuffed veggies are roasting. This one is very pretty with red and green -- like Christmas on a plate! I used leftover pomegranate dressing from the Thanksgiving post -- it gets better while it ages! The pomegranates are still juicy and sweet. I just blanched some green and white string beans, and tossed them with some delicate lettuce and the dressing. Deeeelish.
Voila! Eat these beauties hot from the oven! The harmony of textures is the best part: crunchy, toasted pieces of bread and crisp parm in the crust combine beautifully with the soft onion and juicy vegetable walls.
A little slice of heaven!
Platter Art and a Sandwich
September 28th, 2009 § 3 Comments
Each year my mom hosts break-the-fast at her home, and I assume my regular sous chef role. Tonight we’re having 19 of our friends and family over to gorge in brunch foods past twilight. Hey, we deserve a little over-indulgence after 24 hours of painstaking reflection on our personal shortcomings and failures over the past year — assuaging our sorrows with not even a crumb! So why not make up all the meals you missed in one fell swoop?
During the day, I do allow myself my coffee with a drop of milk. Without it, I’d be crankier than a 3 yr-old on her first day of nursery school. And trust me, we don’t want that.
For those of you keeping the fast today, my apologies in advance for the tease. It’s cruel, I know. Read at your own risk.
Yesterday was prep prep prep. I love arranging food platters, like I love arranging flowers. The trick is to put everything in its place, but not too perfectly. A tuft of lettuce here balances slices of tomato there. A spring of parsley here allows pats of swiss to rest there. Other dishes come and go, but the bagels and fix-ins will always be a staple gobbled up without a hint of hesitation.
Mom and I munched on my open-faced roasted chicken sandwiches (toasted multigrain bread with avocado and sundried tomato mayo,) while I worked the platters and she, Bradley Ogden’s ‘warm bread and butter pudding with peach sauce’.
A certain dessert-maker’s rugelach are also a fixture, chewy with raisins and caramelized brown sugar, rolled into buttery, flaky nuggets of bliss. I want to write up said baker for the New Times, but her husband the lawyer put the kibosh on such publicity lest the underground operation be discovered. So scandalous! So priceless!
