Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Whistlestop Cafe Marinade

This is Sandi and her husband Bill.

Bill's family used to own the famous Whistlestop Cafe. You may recall this spot from a little movie called Fried Green Tomatoes.

The family has sold the cafe but still sells some wonderful whistlestop products. When I first met Sandi last fall she gave me a bottle of Whistlestop Marinade.

It sat in the cupboard until last week. I thawed two pork tenderloins and placed them in a zip lock bag with half of the marinade.

I then threw the pork tenderloins on the BBQ, grilling them until they were done.

The marinade is a versatile liquid that added a wallop of flavor to the pork tenderloin. According to the bottle it is made with Kikkoman soy sauce as the base, a blend of spices, vinegar and a dash of real lemon juice. It enhances flavors… without using MSG.

This was a quick and delicious dinner, thanks Sandi and Bill!

For those of you interested in getting some of this delicious marinade yourself, it can be ordered here.

Jamie Oliver's Slow-roasted Pork Belly with Braised Fennel

The post where we shared our attempt at the slow roasted pork shoulder from Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook Cook With Jamie (thank you again Rose - Paul has made some incredible meals with your gift!) has been my most googled post of late. Well, now that this is up the hits should just go through the roof because it is another slow-roasted pork recipe. Based upon my site counter I can only assume that slow-roasted pork is all the rage in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Welcome to the blog folks.

Pork belly... for years the forgotten part of the pig, it is now making regular appearances on menus; along with lamb shanks and shin of beef, it is beginning to upstage the old faithfuls of sun-dried tomato and rocket. Or at least it is right up there with them. And rightly so, because slow-cooked pork belly is delicious: the crunchy crackling and the meltingly tender meat are a winning combination.

Jamie Oliver's recipe for the pork is fairly standard: rub it in fennel salt and roast it briefly in a hot oven to set the crackling off, then turn the oven right down and cook it slowly to tenderize the meat. But Jamie's recipe takes the fennel theme further: the pork is cooked on top of fennel bulbs tossed in thyme, olive oil and garlic. After an hour, add a bottle of white wine to the tray. The wine and the garlic, thyme and fennel make for a delicious sauce, which flavours the meat as it cooks. The meat emerges beautifully tender, the crackling sublime and the 'gravy' a winey, garlicky jus.

Jamie Oliver's Slow-roasted Pork Belly with Braised Fennel

1 4 - 5 lb pork belly
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 bulbs of fennel, cut into sixths, herby tops removed and reserved
a small bunch of thyme, leaves removed
5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
olive oil
1 750 ml bottle of wine

Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature.

Using an extremely sharp knife, score the skin of the pork belly in deep vertical lines. Try to get them as close together as possible and as parallel as possible.

Crush the fennel seeds and 1 tablespoon of sea salt until you have a fine powder. Massage this powder into the skin.

In a roasting pan toss the fresh fennel, thyme, garlic, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Place the pork belly (skin side up) on top.

Put the pan in the preheated oven. After 10 minutes turn the heat down to 325 degrees and roast the pork for a further hour.

After 1 hour at 325 degrees, remove the pan from the oven and drain off the fat. Add the white wine and stir.

Put the pan back in the oven for another hour.

Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the fennel from the pan using a slotted spoon. Keep it warm.

Put the pork back into the oven for a further hour until the skin is golden and crisp. If the wine starts to evaporate during this time, add a splash more wine, or a splash of water.

Allow the pork to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes.

Carve the meat into chunks and serve with on top of the braised fennel, a splash of jus, and the reserved fennel fronds sprinkled on top.

Jamie - are you listening? You may annoy me with your splashes of this, glugs of olive oil, and knobs of butter but this was bloody excellent! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Pork Tamales

I've mentioned before that one of our treats when we're in California is a feast of Mexican food - not the type served at Taco Bell (ick - run for the hills) but the type served in a dive of a joint. A few years ago when we rented a house in Forestville on the banks of the Russian River we saw someone selling something called a tamale out of a cooler at the side of the road. Now I generally don't buy food out of coolers at the side of the road but this lady had a crowd of cars stopping by so we thought 'what the heck'.

When we got home we unwrapped the foil and discovered a warm corn husk wrapped around a savoury filling. One bite and we were hooked.

A tamal is a traditional Native American food consisting of steam-cooked corn flour dough (masa harina) with or without a filling. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheese (post-colonial), and sliced chillis or any preparation according to taste. The tamal is generally wrapped in a corn husk or plantain leaves before cooking, depending on the region from which they come. In English-speaking countries the tamal is usually called tamale in the singular, though there is no obvious linguistic basis for this name.

When we returned home we searched for tamales. Sadly we weren't successful. After I found recipes on-line I searched for the ingredients. I found the masa harina at a Thai market (go figure) but fell flat with the corn husks. In fairness I could have husked my own corn and dried the husks out but that seemed like far more work than I wanted to do. Last weekend when we were in Paso Robles we were wandering Scolaris, a large grocery store near the motel, and we saw a bag of dried corn husks. This was to become a trip souvenir.

On Sunday we decided to have a Mexican feast with tamales, rice, black bean salad, and turkey, green chili burritos. We found the tamale recipe on the Cooking Light site. Dinner was the perfect antidote to a cold Canadian winter's day. The leftovers served a similar purpose tonight!

Mama Totota's Tamales

Filling:
1 pound pork tenderloin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion

Dough:
3 cups masa harina
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Place cornhusks in a large bowl of hot water; weigh down husks with another bowl. Soak for at least 30 minutes. Drain husks; rinse with cold water. Drain and pat dry.

Tear 2 cornhusks lengthwise into 12 (1/2-inch-wide) strips (6 strips per husk).

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare filling, trim fat from pork. Combine the cumin and the next 4 ingredients (cumin through paprika); rub pork with 2 1/4 teaspoons cumin mixture. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; insert a meat thermometer into pork. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 155°. Cover pork loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Cut pork in half crosswise; shred with 2 forks.

Heat a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Combine pork, onion, and 2 1/4 teaspoons cumin mixture.

To prepare dough, combine masa harina, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Working with 1 portion, place dough in the center of 1 husk. Press the dough into a 4 x 2 1/2-inch rectangle, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border at the tapered end and a 1-inch border at the broad end. Arrange about 1/4 cup filling down center of dough. Take 1 long side of husk, and roll dough around filling, making sure dough seals around filling. Tie 1 husk strip around tapered end of husk to secure it. Trim all but about 1/2 inch excess cornhusk from broad end. Repeat procedure with remaining husks, dough, and pork mixture.

 

Arrange tamales in steamer, and cover with steamer lid. Add water to a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil. Place steamer in pan; steam half of tamales for 12 minutes or until the husks peel away cleanly. Remove tamales from steamer. Repeat procedure with remaining tamales.

 

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 tamales)

CALORIES 344 (19% from fat); FAT 7.4g (sat 1.7g,mono 2.5g,poly 2.5g); PROTEIN 23.1g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 144mg; SODIUM 638mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 6.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45.9g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2000

Grilled Fig and Prosciutto-Stuffed Pork Chops

This is what I woke up to this morning:

Brrrr

What was a chilled boy who had just returned from a short trek to California to do for dinner? Shovel the snow around the BBQ and grill up some tasty grub!

This recipe was originally from the cooking light web site, although I did modify it a bit.The tangy balsamic vinegar and sweet molasses provided a nice balance to the spicy rub.

Grilled Fig and Prosciutto-Stuffed Pork Chops

2 dried figs, halved
2 very thin slices prosciutto (about 3/4 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons molasses

Prepare grill.

Wrap 2 of the fig halves in each prosciutto piece.

Combine fennel seeds and next 6 ingredients (through freshly ground black pepper) in a small bowl.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket. Stuff 1 prosciutto wrap into each pocket. Sprinkle pork chops with fennel mixture. Place pork chops on grill coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Combine vinegar and molasses; brush over pork chops.

Jamie Oliver's Slow Roasted Pork

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up.  The blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. This week's round up is being hosted by Rinku from Cooking in Westchester.

My sister gave Paul this cookbook for Christmas. It is Jamie Oliver's attempt to help everyone learn to be a better cook. We were very happy with Jamie's last cookbook Jamie's Italy so we were excited to receive this one. The book is fairly well-written (once you get used to Jamie's hyper and casual style) with some great recipes. I was flipping through it the other day and Paul saw a picture on page 174 - 'mmmmmmm' he said, 'I think I'd like to make that'.

Up front I need to say that we made some changes to the recipe. It calls for a 11 - 13.5 pound of pork shoulder, on the bone, which you roast all night. Not wanting to eat pork for an entire week, we cut back the recipe and did a 6 pound pork shoulder roast on the bone. Jamie says that this recipe only works with a whole shoulder, well Mr. Oliver, I must strongly disagree with you because the dinner Paul turned out last night was a treat!

Because we used a smaller cut of meat Paul adjusted the cooking times and the remaining ingredients. 

Slow Roasted Pork Roast with Mashed Vegetables and Greens

6 lb pork shoulder one the bone, skin scored
375 ml dry white wine
1/2 pint chicken stock
2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced into thick rings
1 1/2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed
1/2 head garlic, peeled, and smashed
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to maximum.

Smash fennel seeds with salt in a mortar and pestle until fine.

Put the veggies, garlic, and thyme sprigs into a large roasting tray.

Pat shoulder with olive oil and put on top of the veggies.

Massage with the smashed fennel into the skin of the pork, rubbing into the scores.

Put into max heated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until it is beginning to color, then turn down to 250F and cook for 4 - 6 hours or until you can pull it with a fork.

Pour the wine into the roasting tray and let it cook for another hour.

Remove and let rest for a half hour, before moving to a very large cutting board.

Strain the veggies from the sauce, being sure to capture the sauce in a large bowl.

Mash up the veggies with a potato masher, set aside.

Pour the strained sauce into a pan. Add the chicken stock, and boil until you have a nice gravy. You may need to thicken it (we thickened it a bit with corn starch).

To serve it Paul made a bed of sauteed swiss chard on the plate. We spooned some of the mashed veggies on top of the chard. Two or three pieces of the meltingly tender pork went on top of the veggies and he poured some of the sauce over it all. We had some cooked beans and rice left over in the freezer so he added those to the plate for a final touch. WOW

This recipe makes great use of Fennel - one of my 'new' favourite vegetables/herbs/flavourings. Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet, adding a refreshing contribution to foods. Most often associated with Italian cooking, be sure to add this to your selection of fresh vegetables from the autumn through early spring when it is readily available and at its best.

Fennel is composed of a white or pale green bulb from which closely superimposed stalks are arranged. The stalks are topped with feathery green leaves near which flowers grow and produce fennel seeds. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. Fennel belongs to the Umbellifereae family and is therefore closely related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander.

The three different parts of fennel—the base, stalks and leaves—can all be used in cooking. Cut the stalks away from the bulb at the place where they meet. If you are not going to be using the intact bulb in a recipe, then first cut it in half, remove the base, and then rinse it with water before proceeding to cut it further. Fennel can be cut in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending upon the recipe and your personal preference. The best way to slice it is to do so vertically through the bulb. If your recipe requires chunked, diced or julienned fennel, it is best to first remove the harder core that resides in the center before cutting it. The stalks of the fennel can be used for soups, stocks and stews, while the leaves can be used as an herb seasoning

In addition, dried fennel seeds are a popular spice. Seeds are oval, green or yellow/brown, have a sweet scent and warm, sweet taste. Fennel seeds have been said to be anise-like but they’re sweeter and more aromatic. Seeds are clustered and harvested once the flowers have died and the seeds have dried.

Today, fennel seeds are mostly sourced in India and Egypt and used in curry powder mixes, spice mixes for fish and spice blends from India, Scandinavia, China and the Mediterranean. Fennel seeds are also used in baked good and liqueurs. In India, fennel seeds are used as an after-dinner breath freshener and digestive.

Fennel has symbolized many things in the past. In Ancient Greece, fennel was given the name Marathon because the Battle of Marathon against the Persians took place in a field of fennel. Fennel then, was used to symbolize victory, longevity, strength and courage. In Medieval England, the plant was used to ward off witchcraft and hung on doors to ward off evil spirits. The Puritans called them “The Meeting Seed” since it was chewed during meetings.

In France, India, Iran and Russia, fennel seeds are cultivated specifically for their medicinal properties. The seeds do have a long medicinal history and were originally cultivated by the Ancient Romans who identified at least 22 uses — including to improve eyesight and to relieve jaundice.

As early as the Third Century, Hippocrates prescribed fennel to combat infant colic. And even today fennel is known for relieving gastrointestinal disorders and indigestion since it relieves spasms in the digestive system. It also acts as a diuretic and both a pain and fever-reducer. In Latin America, fennel seeds are believed to boost the production of breast milk in nursing mothers. Fennel seed tea has been used to treat food poisoning, snake and insect bites, to increase urine flow and help with menstruation.

Fennel seeds may be chewed whole or steeped to make tea (use one-half teaspoon of crushed seeds per one cup of boiling water).

Arista (Tuscan Roast Pork)

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 16 out of 464 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

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*smile*

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One of the highlights of our trip to Italy was our cooking class. Our amazing instructor, Judy Witts Francini, gave each of us a cookbook that she had published featuring her recipes.  One of the recipes is Arista and last night I cooked it for dinner (originally it was planned as Sunday's dinner but the Thai feast 'bumped' it).

This roast is a favorite on menus throughout Tuscany—a prime cut of pork that is rubbed or stuffed with an aromatic blend of Mediterranean herbs and roasted to savory perfection. This classic dish derives its name from the Greek word aristos, meaning “the best.” According to culinary lore, arista was first served in 15th-century Florence at a summit of Roman Catholic and Greek churches. The succulent pork roast so delighted the Greek clergymen that they began to chant, "Aristos, aristos, aristos."

4 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 Tbs. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbs. sea salt, plus more, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bone-in pork loin roast, about 3 lb.
1 cup white wine

In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, garlic, the 1 1/2 Tbs. salt, pepper and olive oil. Rub the herb mixture on all sides of the pork loin.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F. Pour the wine over the roast and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone, registers 140°F, 45 to 50 minutes more. Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

Carve the pork roast between the bones and arrange on a warmed platter. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve immediately.

We served the pork with another of her recipes - country style potatoes (potatoes cooked with sauteed onions, rosemary, and tomato sauce).

A SE Asian Feast

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 16 out of 464 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up.  The blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The host this week is Simona from Briciole.

A few years ago when we were in California Paul and I decided to sign up for a cooking class offered through Ramekins in Sonoma. Because we love Thai food we elected to take a cooking class offered by Kasma Loha-Unchit. She has taught Thai cooking classes in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1985. She grew up in Thailand and learned the art of cooking from her mother. After working for many years as a marketing analyst in the Bay area, she wanted to return to her cultural roots, and she chose cooking and working with people as her life's work.

She was an excellent instructor and we learned a great deal about Thai cooking from her. Here is a pic of Paul and I preparing the duck curry with pumpkin . . .

Paul and I have been craving Thai food so we decided to cook up a feast on the Sunday. We called mom to see if she was hungry and she was over in record time!

We started with soft spring rolls:

Vietnamese really, hence the SE Asian title.

This was followed by a coconut curry soup with chicken and mushrooms:

For the main course we enjoyed a green pork curry, a spicy stir fried chicken dish, and steamed jasmine rice.

The curry featured tiny Thai eggplants (ma-keua puang), which because they are so difficult to track down, are often replaced with peas (YUCK). We managed to find the tiny egg plants at the Asian market so the dish was perfect and authentic!

Gkaeng Kiow Wahn Moo

• 2 cups or 1 14-oz. can coconut milk
• 2-3 Tbs. green curry paste
• 1 lb. pork, cut against the grain of the muscle into bite-size strips about 2 x 1 x 1/4 in.
• 1/2 lb. small, round Thai eggplants (ma-keua bprawh), cut in halves or quarters, or substitute with 2 long Asian eggplants, cut in bite-size chunks
• 1/2 cup small pea eggplants (ma-keua puang), or substitute with shelled fresh peas
• 2 kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-gkrood)
• Fish sauce (nahm bplah) to taste
• 2 tsp. palm sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 to 1 cup fresh Thai sweet basil leaves and flowers (bai horapa)
• Slivered chillies, to desired hotness

Do not shake the can of coconut milk before opening, so that the cream remains on top. Spoon about 2/3 cup of this thick cream into a medium-size saucepan and heat over medium to high heat. Reduce until smooth and bubbly and until oil begins to separate from the cream. Add the curry paste and fry in the cream for a few minutes to release the aromas. Then pour in the remaining milk.

Bring to a boil and add the pork. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes uncovered before adding the Thai eggplants and pea eggplants. Simmer a few minutes more, then stir in the peas (if using instead of pea eggplants) and kaffir lime leaves. Season to taste with fish sauce (may not be needed if the curry paste is already salted). Add palm sugar to balance and enhance the spice and herb flavors to your liking. Continue to simmer until eggplants and peas are tender. Stir in the basil and chillies (as desired for added hotness) and cook another minute. Serve hot over plain steamed rice.

Fettuccine with Bacon, Peas, and Parmesan

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 16 out of 464 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

The other day I needed a quick dinner. This recipe seemed to fit the bill. I altered it slightly by adding aboout 1/2 cup of diced cooked ham. It was a quick and flavourful dinner - perfect for a busy weeknight.

Garlic bread and green salad will complete the menu with this quick pasta toss. Shake a dash of red pepper flakes over the dish for just a hint of heat.


1 (9-ounce) package fresh fettuccine pasta
2 slices smoked center-cut bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in the pan; crumble. Add 1/2 cup chopped onion, bottled minced garlic, and chopped fresh thyme to drippings in pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in green peas; sauté 1 minute. Add green onions to pan; sauté 1 1/2 minutes. Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid, and half-and-half to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, tossing to combine. Remove from heat. Add butter, salt, and pepper to pan; toss until butter melts. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

CALORIES 313 (28% from fat); FAT 9.9g (sat 4.5g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 14.2g; CHOLESTEROL 22mg; CALCIUM 145mg; SODIUM 747mg; FIBER 3.7g; IRON 0.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.1g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2007

Orange Pork with Scallions

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 16 out of 464 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

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Last night we needed a quick dinner and we were craving something Asian. I was intrigued by the flavour combination in this recipe and happily we had all of the ingredients on hand. Dinner came together in less than 30 minutes and the result was flavourful. When I make this again I will increase the amount of chili because we like more heat. It would also be good with the addition of some toasted cashews (although that would significantly alter the nutritional information listed below).

Serve pork over rice noodles or rice.


1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups matchstick-cut carrots
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/3 cup diagonally cut green onions
Sliced green onions (optional)

Cut pork into 2 x 1/4-inch-wide strips. Combine pork and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a bowl; toss well. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, broth, and next 4 ingredients (through salt).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness; stir frequently. Remove pork from pan.

Heat oil in pan. Add carrots, 1/4 cup water, ginger, and garlic to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return pork to pan. Stir in broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds. Stir in 1/3 cup onions. Serve immediately. Garnish with sliced onions, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup pork mixture)

CALORIES 214 (29% from fat); FAT 6.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.1g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 24.1g; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 37mg; SODIUM 586mg; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 12.7g

Cooking Light, JULY 2006

Ham and Asparagus Fritatta

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 16 out of 463 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up.  The blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. Kalyn is also serving as the host this week.

On Saturday, when we were enjoying dinner at Urban, one of our friends spoke about having breakfast in bed and what a treat it had been. I did my usual 'wow, wouldn't that be wonderful!' with heavy emphasis. Of course it went nowhere.

Paul's response: 'it would be messy.'

What he doesn't get is how nice it would be to be pampered once and awhile. In the ten years we've been together I don't believe I have EVER had breakfast made for me. The dishes get done, laundry washed, and trash taken out, but a nice omelette once and awhile might not be amiss.

Anyway, time to clamber down from my high horse.

So, I didn't get breakfast in bed (or even served to me at the table) on Sunday. Sunday is the one day of the week where we enjoy a more leisurely breakfast (as compared to the ten minutes we have during the week prior to racing for the train). I whip something together, we brew a pot of coffee, and eat, drink, and read the Sunday papers. Heaven!

This week I looked in the fridge and decided to whip together a fritatta made with whatever ingredients we had on hand. The great thing about this dish is it is so flexible - you really can toss in whatever ingredients you have on hand.  I like to mix it up and use diffierent herbs depending upon what I have readily availble in either the garden or the refrigerator.

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup cooked ham, cubed
10 asparagus spears, cooked, chopped into 1 inch lengths
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon assorted fresh herbs (I used oregano, thyme, savory, and rosemary), chopped
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a large, oven-proof frying pan. Saute the onion in the butter until transparent (about 4 minutes). Add the cooked ham and asparagus and saute until warmed through. Mix in the fresh herbs. Remove from heat.

Cover the onion, herb, ham, and asparagus mixture with the cheese.

In a separate bowl beat the eggs. Add the buttermilk, salt, and pepper. Beat until well blended.

Pour the egg mixture over the onion, herb, ham, asparagus, and cheese mixture.

Bake in the oven until cooked through/set (about 30 minutes).

Cut into wedges and served immediately.

We enjoyed our fritatta with fresh fruit and cranberry/walnut toast. It was a quick breakfast and a great way to use up some leftovers!