Kale Frittata

A few months ago I purchased the All Clad 12 inch skillet based on Cook's Illustrated recommendation. Well, I recommend it too. It's wonderful. Omelets are super tender, fonds develop. Not only can you use it on the stove but you can use it in the oven too. I've been struggling for years to make frittatas by flipping them but inevitably half the contents slide onto my kitchen floor! Big mess. So I was very excited to try this skillet out in the oven. I bought it on sale for $90 in the New Year at Sur la Table; it usually goes for $135.

I found this recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food.

Time: 30 minutes or so

Ingredients

-2 T butter or olive oil

- 5 or 6 eggs

-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or other cheese

-Salt and freshly ground pepper

-Minced parsley leaves for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the butter or oil in a medium-to-large ovenproof skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. While it's heating, beat together the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, pour the eggs into the skillet and turn the heat to medium low. Cook, undisturbed for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata is firm.

3. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake, checking every 5 minutes or so, just until the top of the frittata is no longer runny; 10 to 20 minutes more. Garnish and serve hot or at room temperature.

So this is the basic frittata. If you want to add a vegetable like kale, Bittman suggests adding one cup chopped kale or other green. I find kale is a little tough so I recommend sauteing the kale in olive oil and shallots until it is wilted a bit. Then proceed with step 2 above.

Also, do check the eggs every 5 minutes. I did not read that instruction and looked at frittata after 10 minutes, and it was done and may be on the dry side. So watch carefully, and enjoy!

Simple, easy and healthy.

Broccoli Rabe, Navy Beans, and Mushrooms

I love Mark Bittman, The Minimalist, and columnist for the New York Times. At the beginning of the year he wrote a column about kitchen must haves which inspired and convinced me to toss aside canned beans in favor of dried. Canned beans are pretty cheap, convenient, and allow me to make meals very quickly. At times, I find the texture questionable especially of kidney and cannellini beans, and the liquid is just kind of weird.

So I purchased a bag of dried navy beans, cheaper than canned. I soaked them over night which actually requires forethought, and then cooked them in the pressure cooker for 20 to 25 minutes with salt, and they were AWESOME. The texture was so different, cooked but firm, not mushy. And they did not fall apart when I tossed them in salads or in this dish.

This Minimalist is right again, they taste SO much better.

Ingredients
- 1 cup navy beans (soaked over night)
- 1 head of broccoli rabe
- 1/2 pound or more mushrooms
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 3 cloves (or to your taste) of garlic
- 1 cup bean liquid (the liquid the beans were cooked in)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 to 4 T olive oil

First, I have to say I made this recipe as I went so the ingredient list was really to taste, a kind of a fly by the seat of my pants thing.

Soak beans over night, and then cook in the pressure cooker for about 20 to 25 minutes. I added 5 times the water than beans (so for 1 cup of beans, cook in 5 cups of water). Add salt to the water. If you forget the overnight soak, cook for 1.5 hours. Be sure to save some liquid from the beans.

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil, add broccoli rabe and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how tender you like your greens. Drain well, and then roughly chop.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots, cooking until golden. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook until mushrooms are browned. Add chopped broccoli rabe and cooked navy beans. If a little dry, add some of the saved liquid. Taste for salt. Add pepper, and then serve.

Basil Puree

I wanted to use all the wonderful basil growing in my garden without making pesto pasta so I made a simple basil puree (courtesy of Deborah Madison) and used that as the sauce for a simple summer pizza. At the farmer's market and the new fabulous Berkeley Bowl, I bought mushrooms, shallots, and fresh mozzarella. Out of the freezer, I pulled a white whole wheat crust that I had made a few months ago, which turned out pretty well but was a little dense (since wheat does not rise as well).

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
-2 cups basil
-1/2 cup olive oil
-3 cloves of garlic
-1/2 tsp salt

In a food processer, add all the ingredients and chop until smooth and creamy, and spreadable.

I think it was very strong tasty, which I like, but I think I would have may be used slightly less of the puree on the pizza.