Easter Egg Strata! (And Other Spring Culinary Escapades)

The brunch is tomorrow morning!  All my ingredients are prepped, and I'm just waiting to make the custard and throw everything together.  Here's how it goes:

Egg Strata

2 c chopped bell peppers
1 medium onion, diced
1 dozen eggs
12 oz sausage (your favorite)
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1.5 c milk
1.5 c half and half
8 cups cubed bread
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Butter
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté the veggies!  I recommend slow-cooking the onions first so they get nicely caramelized.  I add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and cook them over low heat.  Once they become translucent, I add a pat of butter and the thyme and stir the onions, allowing them to continue cooking until they take on a slightly golden tinge.  This ensures their sweetness.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Then cook the bell peppers in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, lightly salted, until they are softened and slightly golden around the edges.

2. Break the sausage into small chunks, and brown it in batches over medium heat.  I like to make sure that the sausage is entirely cooked; it will warm in the casserole, but if there's any residual rawness, it'll still be there even after you bake!

3. Refrigerate the veggies and sausage to cool them down before adding them to the eggs!

4. The custard for the dish is comprised of the eggs, milk, half and half, dry mustard, and 1.5 cups of cheese.  The remainder will be sprinkled over the top of the casserole.  Whisk together the eggs and liquid first, then fold in the cheese.

5. Add the bread to the custard, gently tossing to combine.  Add in your accoutrements (peppers, sausage, onions) and toss to combine.

6. Pour everything into a greased 9x13" baking dish, pressing down slightly.  Make sure most of the extra custard goes into the pan.

7. Refrigerate overnight, if desired (you can also let it sit for an hour or so to let the custard absorb).  When you're ready to cook, top the casserole with 1/2 c reserved cheddar and bake at 375F for 45 minutes until the top is golden.

In other news, I can't wait for farmers' markets, loves.  I just want spring veggies.  I'll let you know how the strata goes over at Easter brunch.  Happy Easter if you celebrate it, Happy Spring if not!

~AF

The Ten: My Essentials (For the Moment) in the Kitchen

There's a lot of stuff to cook with.  But everyone that cooks on a regular basis understands that there are those few ingredients that can be used over and over again in innumerable dishes that are absolutely essential.  And then there's those ingredients that are just so good that you need to have them on hand at all times, whether you can use them in everything or not.

Here's my Top Five of all time (the stuff you should always have):

1. Onions: If you try to think of as many onion-containing dishes as you possibly can, you'll undoubtedly run out of fingers to count on.  Meatloaf, soups, pasta sauces, my egg casserole, stir fry, sandwiches...the list just goes on.  Onions add flavor, and not having them on hand?  Tragic.
2. Eggs: Here's yet another versatile ingredient.  It can be used to make pasta, casseroles, French toast, scratch-made pancakes, omelets, and egg sandwiches that can rival a McAnything.  Just be sure that you use them.  It's always a terrible feeling to buy a whole dozen and realize after a couple weeks that the "use by" date has passed and you still have enough eggs left to make scrambled eggs for a hungry family of six.
3. Flour: Okay, maybe this seems a little too basic.  But you need flour on hand if you're going to make pasta, pizza dough, bechamel sauce, breaded pork chops, or chocolate chip cookies.  And you can't make a good baked macaroni without bechamel or, indirectly, flour.
4. Herbs and Spices: I'm not going to be too specific with this one.  Only you can determine what spices you like or need.  I like chili flakes in my tomato sauce, nutmeg in my bechamel, and paprika on my sauteed mixed vegetables.  Maybe you like something different.  Experiment!  Try new flavors!  Build your own spice pantry, and this will ensure that you won't be wasting ingredients you only use once in a while.
5. Bell peppers: Surprised?  Bell peppers may be a little non-traditional, but along with a few of my other all-time essentials, I know I can make just about anything.  With the addition of a protein, flour and egg (for a pasta, perhaps?), onion, and maybe some tomato, a dish can be built from seemingly nothing at all.

Here's my Top Ten for the month (ingredients that are just good):

1. Vidalia sweet onions: Onions are used in so many dishes, and if you're able to get a sweet onion, I feel that it can often improve a meal that's already going to be delicious.  They're available now.  Take advantage of it!
2. Cherry tomatoes: Whether they're from a local farmer's market, your own garden, or just the grocery store, these little sweeties are so useful.  I love them in pasta dishes (simply sauteed with olive oil, salt and pepper, then tossed with linguine), on English muffin pizzas (less gourmet, I know, but so tasty!), or in my breakfast egg casserole!  Shameless recipe self-promotion?  Perhaps.  Check it out on the blog.
3. Sliced pickled pepperoncini peppers: Now I know you're thinking, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa now...pepper-what?'  Trust me, you've seen these little guys.  It's the just-spicy-enough, sharply vinegary pepper that they toss into your salad at the Olive Garden.  It works for a Mediterranean-style salad, but I really like it with eggs, macaroni and cheese, bratwurst, and baked beans.  Baked beans?  Weird, I know, but the little tickle of heat from these little guys, coupled with their bright acidity, contrasts incredibly with creamy, barbecue-y beans.  Notice all my pairing suggestions are sort of fatty?  It's that acidity, kids.  A match made in food heaven, whether you realize it or not.
4. Green Tabasco: Holy promotions, Batman!  I have to do it!  I just do!  I'm a big fan of the so-hot-it-hurts, clear-that-stuffy-nose-right-up, regular old red Tabasco.  But its milder green cousin is so much nicer to your taste buds!  It's jalapeno-flavored, which wins in my book anyway.  But it's also super vinegary and has a heat that builds up in the back of the palate instead of just punching you in the face.  I put it on a ton of stuff.  But I especially like it on eggs.  Any eggs.  It's just awesome.
5. Parmigiano Reggiano or similar cheeses: I cannot stress how important it is to have delicious sprinkling cheese!  Yes, sprinkling cheese is a technical term.  And I'm not talking about the stuff that comes in a green canister and looks a little like breadcrumbs.  Parmigiano Reggiano is an aged, incredible cheese.  Grana Padano is similar and can be used in similar applications.  Asiago is a little less nutty-tasting, but it also works great.  Don't do the processed stuff, and try to get cheese that is well aged (even imported if you can find it).  All of these cheeses have huge flavor, and a little goes a long way, so keep that in mind if the price freaks you out.

I'll hopefully be able to direct you to some awesome applications for these ingredients over the next couple weeks.  That is if I can get to the grocery store to replenish our house's supply of a few of these essentials.

Peace, Love, and Good Eating!

~AF

A Tasty Egg Casserole for the Weekend

Now, readers, I may have been slacking off a little lately, but just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been hard at work gathering material to share with you.

On the weekend, I like to cook.  Actually, I like to cook any time, but especially the weekend.  It shouldn't make a difference since I'm on summer vacation right now, but I digress.

I like to cook on the weekend!  And this weekend, I raided the veggie crisper and came up with something I just had to share.

We've all been there.  The last two or three eggs in the carton are about to pass the "best by" date, and the veggies are nearing the point where you're not quite sure if they should be consumed.  Fear not!  This will solve your problems.

With an array of veggies that complement each other and enough eggs to turn them into a casserole, you too can have a delicious breakfast to share with your mom (and then reheat the next morning for breakfast again, but we'll get to that later!).

Basic Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

•  4-5 mini sweet peppers (or 1 medium-sized red or yellow bell pepper)
• 1/2 medium Vidalia sweet onion
• 3 medium-sized button mushrooms
• ~1/3 c. sweet cherry or grape tomatoes
• 3 large eggs
• 3 Tsp. 2% milk
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/3 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Fresh-cracked black pepper
• Salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Butter (to grease the casserole dish)

Instructions:

1. Prep your veggies:  Chop the onion into a 1/4 inch dice.  Cut the peppers into small strips.  Slice the mushrooms.  Halve or quarter the tomatoes, depending on the size.  If all of your veggies are prepped ahead of time, you won't need to rush back and forth trying to get everything ready for the pan.  Also preheat your oven (or in my case toaster oven) to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a saute pan over medium heat.  Add in the diced onion and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
3. Once the onion has had a chance to cook, add in the sliced pepper.  Add just a pinch of salt to draw the moisture out and help it to cook.  (If you want to speed up the cooking process, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to generate steam and put a lid on it.  Let the veggies steam a few minutes, then let them cook uncovered for a bit to let the water evaporate.)
4. Once the peppers are softened and the onions and peppers are starting to brown just a bit, add in the mushrooms.  After the mushrooms soften and shrink up a little, toss in the tomatoes, stir a bit, and shut off the heat.  You want them to remain plump and juicy in the casserole.  The veggies will rest a while in the pan while you prep the eggs and casserole dish.
5. In a small bowl, crack the three eggs.  Add in the milk, along with a pinch of salt, a few twists of ground pepper, and the dried thyme.  Beat the eggs vigorously with a fork until the yolk and white are well-blended.  (If you want to use more or fewer eggs, it's fine.  You should add as many tablespoons of milk as the number of eggs that you use.  If you use four eggs, use four tablespoons of milk, and so on.)
6. Here's where my recipe differs from most.  Grease the casserole dish with butter.  Put the veggies in the dish first, then sprinkle the cheese on top of them.  Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese, and gently stir until everything is well-dispersed.
7. Place the casserole in the preheated oven.  The eggs will cook at 375 for about 20 minutes.  Stir the whole mix after the 5-minute mark and the 10-minute mark.  This will make the casserole fluffy.  But after that stop mixing.  The casserole develops a nice souffle-like puff as it finishes cooking (thanks to the milk we added, along with some residual water from the veggies).
8. You know it's time to take the casserole out when the middle is set.  You can gently part the eggs in the middle of the dish with a fork and just make sure there's not any liquid egg remaining.
9. Allow the dish to rest for about five minutes after it is removed from the oven.  Tent it with foil (loosely cover it up) so the top stays nice and warm.  You can serve it with some extra cheddar for on top.  Serves 4.

Here's some important stuff to note:

Use milk and not water for a creamier casserole.  Substitute water and it'll be much puffier, but not as smooth.  Plus, I think the milk gives it a nice flavor.

You can use just about any vegetables that go together.  Just remember, aromatics like onions and garlic cook first.  Don't leave garlic by itself in the pan for too long because it'll burn, and burnt garlic tastes yucky.  'Yucky, you say?'  Yes, yucky.  Don't burn it.  Veggies that contain more water take less time to cook and should be added toward the end of cooking so they don't become mush.  And never steam watery veggies.  Never.  They are soggy enough already.  These veggies include mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes.  Greens like spinach and kale can wait to go in until the end.  And peppers and eggs are a match made in heaven.  I recommend using peppers.

Don't use a mild cheese if you're going to bake it in!  The flavor will just disappear into the eggs, and you'll be left panicking and asking yourself if you forgot to add the cheese.  Sharp or extra-sharp cheddar go so well with eggs...use them!

Do not be afraid to add salt.  Say it with me.  Don't be afraid to add salt.  Eggs love salt.  Plus they'll taste like Spackle if you skip the seasoning.  That's Spackle, not spaetzle.  One is a delicious German food, the other is, well, drywall putty.  Not that I know what Spackle tastes like, but I would imagine it would be something like unseasoned eggs.  Get it? Got it? Good.

Thyme is super-traditional with eggs, especially in French cuisine.  And it's tasty.  But you could use any herbs you like with your eggs.  Except maybe mint.  But I'm not a big fan of mint anyway, so use it if you'd like.

Unless you have high cholesterol anyway, please don't be afraid of using eggs.  They contain lots of protein and important nutrients and stuff.  Plus they're much tastier than that fake-egg-in-a-carton stuff.  (I've just used the word "stuff" twice...well, now three times.  The journalist in me is having a temper tantrum...but you're picking up what I'm laying down, right?)

When you go to reheat any leftovers, add a teaspoon of milk to the top of your serving before you microwave or bake it.  This will keep it moist and delicious, instead of making it the consistency of a kitchen sponge.  Preferable?  Yes, indeedy.

Enjoy your breakfast, and try to share it!  Eggs are good for you, but not if you eat the whole casserole.  Plus, your parent/significant other/kid/whoever's eating with you will really appreciate the fact that you cooked for them!  (Because you were cooking for them, right?  Wink, wink?)

Happy Cooking!

~AF