Frittata with Broccoli and Cheese

Frittata is an Italian dish did you know that? Making a frittata is so simple and can be as plain or creative as you like. I always like to find out what a food is prior to cooking it. I did not get all brainyyack on it just general information. Original recipes cook the eggs prior to baking and then add the ingredients and finish it off in the oven. I mix all the ingredients together and bake it in the oven till done. 

 Unlike a Quiche a Frittata has no crust.

Ingredients

4 cups chopped steamed broccoli
3 scallion onion chopped
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
8 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Steam your broccoli. Steam it to the texture you like I am a crunch head so I like mine a bit firm and knowing it will cook more in the oven it is steamed just so slightly. I then pan fry the broccoli and onion to just brown. Once cooked set aside you want it to cool slightly never add hot ingredients to raw eggs it will cook them. Pop it in the refrigerator while you mix the other ingredients.

Alright while that cools let's get our wet ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl add your eggs, milk, water and seasoning. Whisk them together until well mixed. Now add you broccoli and onion and cheese. 

Once this is all mixed up pour it into your pan. Spray or grease your pan. You can use a round cake pan. An oven safe skillet or what I like to use my iron skillet. I use an iron skillet for many of my recipes. The iron skillet gets super hot and the heat cooks evenly all the way around. Just be careful taking it out of the oven. 

Cook this in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400 for the next 15 minutes to brown the top and when a fork comes out clean it is done. Remove from the oven and let it cool down for about 20 minutes and serve.

911 on Eggs

I am currently reading a book called the Omnivore Dilemma by Michale Pollen it is GOOD reading. But this is not a post on book promotion.We are so caught up with the word organic I do not think anyone really takes the  time to know what it mean in the big market description. This is why buy local buy from someone you know if you are going to shout out I am organic. Knowledge is power in this fast food tricky label food world. Visit the farm and check the details. DO NOT trust any label. Once you hit the market even Whole Foods it is a devil’s trap.

I know we have to get somethings from the market and I understand. Look I thought with one of my bright idea after researching plastic I would stop using it. Impossible to not have plastic some where the worlds is made with it. Ok ranting back to egg’s . Let’s talk egg then at the end of the talk I will give you some interesting link’s. And by no means am I an organic, dirt pushing 58 year old hippie. I am just trying to get back to some overall basic’s.

I buy egg’s from the store and fresh from the farmers market. I am also lucky enough to get egg’s from neighbor when they have some or I barter some of my kick ass bread or jams . Store bought are in the refrigerator and farmers on the counter.


Why you ask.


Did you know that in Europe and other countries they let there fresh eggs sit on the kitchen counter until they are used. We seem to be the only country to rework the egg’s enough to need them in the refrigerator. Everyone has there own opinion and most of the time you are right in your own right. But fresh from the hen eggs do not need to be refrigerated. here is a link that has a lot of opinion’s on it.




The so called organic egg’s from the store well if they are organic and farm fresh why am I refrigerating them. Do you really think a bunch of workers sit on the grass field waiting for the little chicken to go back into the cute hen barn to lay eggs then they collect them and off to the market they go. No The organic egg’s do have a grassy area but by the time they are old enough to even venture out they are to scared or do not want to leave the food and water source to wander out side the massive.

Free Range Jail.

Here is a blog I love love love on chicken and all things chick cute.
And here is a link to a great way to use your egg shells.
Here is a site  that let’s you know the real story of organic eggs from corporate”Organic” egg farms. Again know you source! Here is a great site with lot’s of definitions.Oh here is the 911 on government rules on organic. And here is the recipe that got me started on this egg rant.

7 Minute White Frosting

White Frosting. There is nothing better than a pure White Frosting for a cake , cupcake or bundt. I have used can and boxed goods for so many year that when I had finally decided Why? it made an incredible change in my frosting palette. White frosting comes in many variations I went over to Martha to get a recipe after looking at many site. The texture is so light and delicate it blow's your palette right out of the taste-astrophe.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 large egg white at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

This is a funny recipe I first thought "You have to be kidding me?" I think that we have gotten so use to quick and easy cooking and tasks that anything that takes more than 30 seconds is a chore. So on we go. I do have a candy thermometer and it has come in super handy for me. If you do not than do your best to follow the instructions and once that sugar is bubbly and smooth and hot you are ready. BUT get the thermometer you will use it over and over.

1st Step is to heat 1 1/2 cup of the white sugar, water and corn syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Keep an eye on it and stir the sugar until the sugar dissolves.






Once it is dissolved turn the heat up to medium high, bring the sugar to a soft boil. Cook the syrup until it reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove it immediately. (The original recipe said to wipe the sides down with a pastry brush with water to prevent crystals. I got none and did no wiping)












2nd Step have the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar ready to add to the egg whites .Get your egg whites whipped up in your mixer until they form nice soft peaks. Mid-soft-peak time add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, reduce your speed once you have your peaks and start to add your syrup slowly pouring it slowly onto the edge of the mixer bowl. (Gosh I love pictures)













Once the syrup is added raise the speed of your mixer to medium high. Let it run for 6 minutes set a timer. Seriously it puff's up and becomes so lovely at about 4 minutes in add the vanilla extract.  Use this frosting immediately.













This is not a frosting you use later or set aside. I used it on a cake and popped the cake in the refrigerator for that evening. It was heaven on a platter!


The process seems very laborious but worth it. When you taste this frosting it is like sugar air in your mouth.  Look at the pictures it shows you the stages of the 7 minutes. Do not give up little baker!

 Now frost that bad boy!
 Adapted from Martha Stewart recipe catalog

Italian Calzone

The Calzone I am baking is a recipe from my Mother-in-love. She is Sicilian and when she made this calzone for the first time. I scratched my head and said  “What the Hell”.  Where is the sauce Well there is NO sauce is Traditional Calzone. I am use to the half moon pie type with sauce. After a long Italian conversation about the origin of this in her family I got it. Why? you ask because it tasted so scrumptious. I always cook this at Easter because it reminds me so much of my Mother-in-love. 

Now it uses a boxed roll mix which I found almost impossible to find. I finally just took what I could find. I got a picture off the Internet so you know what to look for.


I do make bread and plan on trying my own dough one day when I grow some Italian Balls. Plus I was still in shock over the no sauce thing! xoxo But not to detour the original recipe here we go.

Ingredients

2 box's of Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
1 pound of Italian sausage it is about 6 sausages. I got three sweet and three spicy
2 white onion's chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
13 eggs
1/4 cup milk (any kind)

2 cups fresh ricotta (drained)
1 cup of fresh shredded Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley

What you need a large skillet, a large bowl to combine the cooked ingredients, a large roasting pan or cooking vessel with at least 3" sides and a rolling pin. The roasting pan I used is pictured below.

This recipe takes time but a tradition on our Easter table. If I do not make it or my Mother-in-love than we call Easter off and Jesus stays in the cave!


Prepare all your ingredients for the stuffing of the calzone.
You actually are not stuffing it is like a big square pie!





Chop your onion and fry them in a large skillet until translucent. Chop your garlic and add it to the onion and simmer until they are cooked but not browned.





Take the casings off your sausage and add them to your onion/garlic and cook until your sausage is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set this mixture aside in a large bowl.

Now put all your eggs, milk, salt and pepper to taste into a large bowl whisk them together really good and put them into the same pan you already used.



No need to clean all the taste is going together anywho! Now cook up your egg mixture just like scrambled eggs.

Once your eggs are scrambled take the sausage mixture, egg mixture and parsley and pit it into a large bowl. DO NOT add the cheese until the mixture is cool!


  Here the ingredients are co-mingled.

I actually make this mixture the day before you bake the Calzone. This way you  can concentrate on the dough preparation. Just take the mixture of sausage, eggs and parsley and add all your cheeses and cover for the night. Make sure your mixture has cooled prior to adding the cheeses.

You need a  box of mix for the crust of the calzone and a box for the top.




You need time to let the bread rise once prior to rolling it out and assembling the dish. Follow the direction on the box.

Once your dough has done it's first rise then take one loaf and roll it out for the bottom of the roasting pan. Add your filling and roll out the second dough and apply it to the top.Seal all the way around and brush  the top with egg white. This gives it the glossy look plus the egg white can be used to help you seal any edges that are not cooperating.




 Bake in a 400 degree oven uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes. Until the top is golden brown.

Beautiful sorry there is no picture on a nice plate they ate it right up !