Frittata!!

Here's a fun, easy recipe that makes for a perfect Sunday brunch:

Potato Frittata

10-12 small red potatoes, thinly sliced

4 eggs, beaten

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

Dash of poultry seasoning

Fresh herbs (I used thyme & rosemary, but choose whatever you like.)

4-6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Thinly slice potatoes, and set aside.

*If using bacon, cook the bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil, turning once. When bacon is crisp, remove from oven, and blot on paper towels before crumbling. Set aside.

* In a 10-inch, oven-proof frying pan, over medium heat, add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

* Add the sliced potatoes to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Cook until the potatoes become soft, and the edges start to brown.

*Lower the flame slightly, and add the beaten eggs. Immediately add fresh herbs, and tilt the pan, so that the egg completely covers the potatoes.

*If using bacon, sprinkle bacon pieces over the top.

*Continue cooking until the egg begins to set. You should be able to slide a spatula around the edge of the pan.

*Transfer the pan into the oven, and bake for 10 minutes.

*Remove from oven, and cut into wedges. Serve with a small green salad on the side.

* * * * *

I love brunch. I don't always eat breakfast, but on the weekends, I love to eat brunch, and this is my favorite brunch item. It's very versatile, and it looks so elegant when you serve it.

A few notes:

*Make sure you're using an oven-proof frying pan. Essentially, all of the parts of the pan should be metal (no plastic handles). To be safe, you can wrap the handle in aluminum foil.

*The secret ingredient here is the poultry seasoning. It's a blend of several dried herbs & spices (onion, garlic, basil, rosemary, coriander, sage, thyme, paprika, black pepper, and marjoram are in the brand that I use). Just a tiny bit, crushed in the palm of your hand and added to the potatoes, will give a nice blend of complex flavors to the dish.

*Be willing to experiment with the fresh herbs. I tend to favor rosemary and thyme, but you could easily substitute chives, cilantro, sage, basil, oregano, or parsley.

*When beating the eggs, be sure to aerate them, and make them as fluffy as possible. You could also a drop of milk to the eggs to make them a bit more creamy.

This is really a lovely dish. It's colorful, flavorful, and very easy to make. You can customize it to your own unique tastes. You can also turn it into an appetizer by cutting it into bite-size squares, and serving with toothpicks.

If you try this recipe, or any of the recipes on this site, please let me know how they turn out for you!!

Enjoy!

Two Great Meals

Since I missed a week of blogging somehow, I'll make up for it by sharing two great meals that I made last week.

I bought 2 lbs of lean chopped sirloin at Stew Leonard's in Yonkers. (If you're not familiar, Stew Leonard's is a fresh-food shopping mecca in the Northeast: http://www.stewleonards.com/) I used one pound in my "Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf", and the other in my "Meat Sauce for Pasta". They're both easy, savory meals that are great on cold winter nights!

* * * * *

"Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf"

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon cumin

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

Salt & pepper

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Grease a 2 qt glass baking dish with a small amount of olive oil

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor. (Personally, I pulverize it because no one in my house likes big chucks of onion in their meatloaf.)

*In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, onion/garlic, applesauce, cumin, thyme, egg, and breadcrumbs.

*Mix all ingredients thoroughly. (Yes, this is best done with your hands!)

*Shape into a loaf, and place in the baking dish.

*Lightly salt and pepper the top of the loaf.

*Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

I served this meatloaf with mashed red potatoes (with a few chopped chives, for color) and green beans.

And I'll tell you a secret: This meatloaf is NEVER dry. I know that's what most people don't like about meatloaf, which is why they do crazy things like top it with bacon or ketchup or something. The applesauce & the pulverized onion/garlic give this recipe a lot of moisture, and it even stays moist on a reheat.

* * * * *

"Meat Sauce for Pasta"

1 lb lean ground beef

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

About 2 oz each of beef broth and dry red wine

1 tablespoon of fresh basil leaves, torn

(Note: I used a frozen paste of basil & olive oil, made from the fresh basil my neighbor gave us a few months ago.)

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor

*In a 2 qt saucepan, over medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

*Brown the beef in the olive oil. Season the beef with fresh ground black pepper. (You may want to do this in 2 batches, 1/2 lb at a time.)

*Add the onion/garlic mixture to the browned beef. Continue heating until the onion becomes translucent.

*Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, wine, and basil.

*Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer.

*Continue simmering until ready to serve

I served this sauce with medium shells, and a green salad on the side. A little garlic bread goes nicely on the side, as well.

* * * * *

I hope you enjoy by 2 best meals of the last week!! If you try these recipes yourself, please let me know how they turn out for you, and please pass them along to your friends! :-)

Enjoy!

Best Meal of the Week: Arroz con Pollo

The first week of 2011 has been a great week for food! I made homemade rosemary crackers on New Year's Eve (recipe still needs work, but it's an easy snack). One night, we had simple sirloin burgers on a bed of greens. We even has terrific store-bought paella, but, obviously, I can't take credit for that.

The best meal I made this week was arroz con pollo, modified from Mark Bittman's recipe in "How To Cook Everything." Here's a link to the recipe: http://markbittman.com/dinner-with-bittman-arroz-con-pollo

What did I do differently? Well, I was so excited about the dish that I forgot to garnish with parsley and lemon wedges -- OOPS! Also, I didn't use a whole chicken, cut into pieces. Instead, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which was what I had in my refrigerator. Next time, I'll use the cut up whole chicken. It will probably add more chicken flavor to the dish. I also added a red bell pepper, which provided a bit of color and a nice overtone.

This was the first time that I had ever cooked with saffron, and I absolutely LOVE it! No wonder it was the most expensive spice in the world! A little goes a long way, too! Just a little pinch of it gives the rice that soothing yellow color and indescribable flavor.

I can't wait to make this meal again!