Romano Bean Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette & Egg

I love this salad. It includes a just hard-boiled egg, which as you know, makes everything better.  It takes less than 20 minutes to prepare, a major win when on those nights when you just don't feel like putting a lot of time into dinner.  And even the little man in my life loves it.  He first sucks off all the dressing, then delicately pries open the pod to fish the inner bean out with his tongue.  It is a specific and sweetly enjoyable process.

Romano Bean Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette & Egg

Ingredients  

• 1 pound fresh Romano beans, washed and ends trimmed
• 1 just hard boiled egg 
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• Salt & Pepper

Directions 

• Steam the romano beans to your liking. I prefer them still crispy, just 3 - 4 minutes in a inch of boiling water
• Meanwhile,  hard boil an egg, keeping it in the water about 10 minutes post boil so the inner most yolk is still tender
• Make the dressing by whisking the finely minced shallot, olive oil, vinegar and mustard, then add salt and pepper to taste.  You want this dressing to be bright and bold to stand up to the thick beans, so add more vinegar if necessary
• Arrange the beans on a plate, crumbling the hard boiled egg over top, and then drizzling with dressing 
• This salad is best warm, or brought back to room temperature before serving 

Lauren Lately: Fritattas & Chicken

"Lauren Lately" is a series featuring the latest quick meals in my rotation when I cook but don't necessarily create a blog-worthy meal. 

1. CSA Veggie Frittata:  We receive a dozen divine fresh eggs each week and love frittatas.  Last night's mix… sauté diced garlic scapes and zucchini in olive oil until browned. Top with 2 cups of chopped kale and 1.5 cups of stock. Cook until the stock is almost gone, remove from the pan and drain. While any CSA veggies will do, the trick is to add flavor with chicken or veggie stock. 
 
For a three person frittata, whisk 6 egg yolks with ½ teaspoon of salt in one bowl, and vigorously whisk 8 egg whites with 2 tablespoons of stock for 2-3 minutes in another. Combine, melt a pad of butter in the same sauté pan and pour in eggs. Cook over medium heat until the eggs just start to set. Spread the cooked veggies out evenly and top with a few disks of mozzarella cheese. Pop the whole pan in the oven and broil on high until cooked through.   

2. Quick & Easy Dijon Grilled Chicken:  As part of my mission to spend less time in the kitchen mid week, a friend shared this delicious recipe.  I double it and pre-make 4 dinners worth, freezing individually so I can pop them frozen on the grill in Montauk or in a glass dish at home. Combine 1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup dry white wine, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon honey.  Toss in four chicken breasts. If using right away, let marinate at least an hour at room temperature. Grill or cook for 25 - 35 minutes @ 400 degrees. 

3. Steamed Veggie’s For Lunch:  Line your steamer basket with bite size garlic scapes. Continue to layer the basket working from hard to soft, meaning radishes or turnips first, then boy choy and finally kale or other soft greens. Steam over hot water for 3-4 minutes, toss with a squirt of lemon juice or sesame oil and a chopped hard boiled egg.

Poached Egg & Braised Asparagus

Local spring asparagus have been hard to come by in my neck of the woods.  After speaking with my favorite Montauk fish monger (who stocks great local produce), I learned that the rainy weather diminished the supply and many farmers barely have enough to supply their own farm stands. If you see any stalks, snap them up.  And while you are at it, grab eggs and Parmesan cheese to whip up this elegant little lunch. 

The simplicity of today's recipe is spot-on, because the nuttiness of the asparagus really shines through. Equally as nice for a dish-washing detester like me, is re-using the same pan to poach the eggs. There is no such thing as too many poached eggs in my book, so I am certain to be exploiting the technique for years.

My summer CSA delivery starts tomorrow which means I'll be blogging regularly again soon. Yippee! Until then, enjoy a few shots taken with my fancy new SLR lens. I have heaps to learn, but am really hoping to up the quality of my #foodphotography. 

Braised Asparagus with a Poached Egg

Courtesy of Food & Wine and Gwyneth Paltrow 

Ingredients  

• 1 bunch of asparagus, ends snapped off*
• 1 tablespoon of butter 
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 
• 2 eggs
• Water 
• Salt & pepper  

*There is a "to snap or not" asparagus debate out there, but I'm partial to the snapping simply because it is fun! 

Directions

• Preheat the broiler on high.
• Fill a large deep skillet with salted water, bring to a boil and blanch the asparagus until tender, about 3 minutes. Leaving the water in the skillet, transfer the asparagus to a paper towel–lined plate and pat dry.
• Arrange the asparagus in single layer in a pan, brush with butter, season with salt and pepper, and top with the cheese.
• Broil 6 inches from the heat until golden, about 1 minute.
• Meanwhile, bring the asparagus blanching liquid to a simmer. Crack the eggs into a glass, then, after swirling the water into a circle, swiftly pour them into the simmering water.
• Cook until whites set, but the yolks are runny (3 ~ 4 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, remove each egg and blot dry.  Top with a sprinkle of salt & pepper, and serve on top of the asparagus. 

About Asparagus 
High in fiber, vitamin B and calcium, Asparagus are a flowering and hearty perennial plant.  If you are considering a home garden (more on that later!), these nutrient-dense fellows are known to re-produce for up to 15 years without replanting. 

Thanksgiving: The Day After

I am so obsessed with Thanksgiving stuffing that at this point my favorite part of the holiday may just be breakfast the day after: a poached egg over reheated stuffing! Here is what we enjoyed on Friday. I'll post the recipe soon. This one is so good there's no reason not to enjoy it all winter!

Quinoa & Kale Crustless Quiche

This is my absolute favorite recipe to date on this blog.  Seriously, it is so so so good, I beg you to whip it up  yourself.  In this post, I told you about my obsession with kale and cheese, and in this one, you read about my love of the egg.  All these favorites combine for the perfect slice of deliciousness.  We enjoyed it for dinner first, and breakfast the next morning.  Rich kale, gooey sharp cheese, wholesome quinoa, carmelized onions, binding eggs.... If you are on the kale fence, as I hear many of you are, this is the dish to try it in.  I want to go make another right now!  Thank you @Food52!

Quinoa & Kale Crustless Quiche

Courtesy of Food52
Makes About 6 slices

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoaAsk the
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• 1 cup water or stock (veggie or chicken)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small bunch (2 cups) kale
• 1 white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ cup of sharp cheese, such as white cheddar or gouda 
• 3 ounces of cream cheese
• 4 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 and butter or spray a 9" pie dish. Rinse the quinoa. Combine the quinoa and water or stock in a pot. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer for about twenty minutes. Set aside. 
• Meanwhile, start to caramelize the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large saute on medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions. Slowly cook until  soft and browned.
  
• Transfer the onions to large bowl. Add the kale into the hot onion pan. On medium heat, cook until the kale is wilted but still bright green, about two minutes.
  
• Add the kale, quinoa, garlic, cream cheese and cheddar to the onions. Stir until mixed.
  
• In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until well combined. Pour over the quinoa/kale mixture. Stir until the egg clings to the greens. Add salt and pepper.
  
• Pour the mixture in the prepared pie dish. Bake for about 35- 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the pie has started to pull away from the edge of the baking dish.

 

The Perfect (Fr) Omelet

I remember the first time I had really good eggs. It was at my family summer cottage on Dorval Island near Montreal, and my Aunt Jane was at the stove.  This was before she and my uncle opened up their glorious bed and breakfast, and she had whipped up a batch of scrambled eggs for all the cousins. I undoubtedly ate and ran without stopping to share my delight in the eggs, but there was something in that scramble that made a life-long impression.

My love of eggs has blossomed since that first great scramble. A poached or fried egg adorn many meals these days: pasta, roasted veggies, sauted leeks, burgers. Breakfast for dinner is a favorite in the Hayduk (HeyLocke?) household. So much so that I've been trying to perfect my omelet for years. My first major leap was realizing how much better an omelet cooks over medium-low heat versus high or even medium high.  The next breakthrough was upgraded pans thanks to generous wedding gifts.  And recently, well recently, I hit the omelet jack pot when my obsession with tearing out and filing recipes really paid off.

I've made this "breakfast for dinner" omelet four times with my CSA eggs to make sure it really is "the" omelet recipe, ready for you dear readers. And it is. Oh, it is.

P.S. If any of you make this one, I'd love to hear your reviews in the comments section!

The Perfect Fromelet

Modified courtesy of Food & Wine's Omelet Souffle  

Ingredients 

1 serving

• Three eggs
• 1 pad of butter 
• Your choice of components: Onion, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cheese, Bacon, Tomatoes, etc.
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

• Start your oven broiler. 
• Separate three large eggs. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with a pinch of salt.
• In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until the top is frothy, about 1 minute by hand.  
• Note: If you want to try to original "souffle" style of the recipe, whisk much longer until soft peaks form. I prefer Fromelet (frittata + omelet) style and whisk less.
• Next whisk one-fourth of the egg whites into the yolks.
• Fold in the remaining yolks until the two are combined and the colour is uniformed. 
• In an 8-inch overproof nonstick or iron cast skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat.  Add the egg mixture, shaking to distribute evenly. 
• Let cook for about 1 minute, then sprinkle the toppings evenly over the top.  
• Transfer the entire pan to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes before serving.  Holy yum!

Whisked Bright Egg Yolks

 Frothed Egg Whites

 The Final Fromelet: Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese