Dinner's On The Table – The Personal Chef & Home Cooking Resource

We were grocery shopping in Adams Fairacre Farm (www.adamsfarms.com) last week, wondering if they might have fiddleheads, and to my surprise, they had MORELS!!!!  I’ve never seen these fresh, only dried.  Not having a clue what I was going to do with them, I bought a half pound of these beauties. 

When we got home, I went straight to my trusty computer to search for recipes.  I found many that were basically breaded and fried.  Some were just dusted with flour, some had an egg wash, neither thrilled me.  I put them in my Tupperware FridgeSmart container in the fridge and almost forgot they were there.  A few days later, we grilled up a lamb roast for dinner.  After finishing dinner that night, I remembered the morels.  That’s when I decided to make a Morel Sauce to go with the leftover lamb.  I sauted an onion with garlic and added the sliced morels.  I let them cook until they had a little browning.  I added 2 tablespoons of flour to make a roux, then added a splash of Madiera and some low sodium beef stock (canned broth works great).  I let it thicken a bit before adding slices of lamb.  I let the lamb simmer while finishing the garlic fanned potatoes. 

Dinner that night was GREAT! 

I Can’t wait for the leftovers.

Side note…Adams has fiddleheads! 

www.adamsfarms.com

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When we’re on the go we like to eat our eggs on a sandwich, right? But cooking eggs in a frying pan isn’t conducive to fitting on your English muffin, bagel or kaiser roll without some part of the egg dangling out. Here’s some tips on how to make your eggs behave.

Frying pans, griddle irons and microwaves are the most popular methods of cooking eggs. So how does McDonald’s keep their eggs in a nice little circle so it will fit onto an Egg McMuffin? I can’t say for certain, but I know how you can do it at home. If you’re using a frying pan or griddle iron you need something that will stand up to heat and not damage your cookware. An egg poacher is one option. It usually comes as a unit for up to four eggs. If you’re poaching eggs, you would fill a sauté pan with water so that it just covers the poacher. Once the water reaches a slow boil, break open one egg and place them into each round. Poached eggs usually have a soft yolk center, but you can cook them longer to firm it up.

You can also use the poacher if you plan on frying an egg as well. The important thing to remember is to use a low heat setting and you must cover the frying pan or poacher unit on the griddle to allow for even heat distribution and complete cooking. Use some non-stick spray or spread a tablespoon of olive oil (or other cooking oil) on the surface of the pan where the poacher will sit. Crack open an egg for each round and then cover. You eggs should be done in 5-7 minutes. This will also work if you have a large cookie cutter or donut cutter.

Now, what if you want to use a microwave? I’ll bet you have a soup crock in your cupboard that will do the trick. Measure the bottom of the crock to the English muffin, bagel or roll to make sure its the right size. If it is, your good to go. Spray the crock with cooking spray or coat with a small amount of cooking oil, crack an egg into the crock, place it into the microwave and place a paper towel or other cover over the top of the crock (no metal please!). In this case the cover is to avoid having the egg coat the inside of your microwave. The trick with cooking an egg in the microwave is to turn on the microwave in 30-45 second increments to try and avoid the egg exploding. As a quick explanation, the microwave heats foods up by making the water molecules dance around really fast. This causes steam, and if the steam doesn’t escape before the egg solidifies, it can burst out. Don’t worry. This explosion won’t damage anything; just make a mess if you don’t cover the crock. Stop cooking when the egg has reached the consistency you want. Remember, each microwave is different so you’ll have to use your better judgment and knowledge of your machine. Please Note: The egg doesn’t always explode. This is a precaution.

Now that your egg is cooked, grab some cheese, your bread of choice and off you go.

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On our way home from our cook date Tuesday afternoon, we decided to check out the Rhinebeck Health Food store.  We were very pleasantly surprised to find ramps and fiddlehead ferns.  After checking out the rest of the store, we decided to purchase some of each. 

Tonight was our first try at both this year.   We cooked fiddleheads a few years ago but we’ve never had ramps.  I did a quick internet search for recipes and got a few ideas.  Fiddleheads can be used in many recipes that call for broccoli and asparagus and they lend themselves nicely to oriental dishes, so since we were making cedar plank salmon with a wasabi soy glaze and healthy fried rice for dinner, the fiddleheads made a really nice vegetable side dish.  I blanched them for a few minutes until the were nice and tender then tossed them in a hot skillet with olive oil.  I added 3 sliced ramps to the pan, sprinkled a pinch of salt and that was it! 

We bought enough ramps to last us a few weeks, but only enough fiddleheads for dinner tonight, so I guess we have to go back for more while they’re available. 

Just a note…neither have a very long shelf life, but I’m storing the ramps in my new Tupperware FridgeSmart container.  I’ve had mushrooms last for literally weeks and lettuce keeps until we actually finish it, so the ramps should be good until we finish them too.  No more wasted produce for us!

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Don’t you just crave that wonderfully crunchy, creamy, shrimp toast that you can order at your favorite Chinese Restaurant? We don’t want to know what’s in them. Nope.

But there is hope for shrimp toast lovers who are on a strict diet. Here’s a recipe that is baked, not fried, and we can contest is VERY GOOD. This has been adapted from an AARP recipe. Instead of using white bread we chose to use pita or Indian naan. The higher the dietary fiber the better. The recipe has a more satisfying crunch with Pita or naan flatbread…and it’s healthier. Why did we use naan instead of white bread? We actually don’t keep it in the house!

The taste is very close to the fried version and should definitely fill your craving.

• 12 ounces pre-cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 thin slices white bread 2-3 Pita or Indian Naan
• tablespoons melted butter
• Fresh cilantro leaves and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the shrimp until finely chopped. Add egg white, cilantro, scallion, cornstarch, ginger, and salt. Pulse several more times until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

2. Lightly brush both sides of each flatbread with melted butter. Cut each flatbread into 8 triangles like a pizza. If your naan is oval you’ll need to be creative making wedges. Spread shrimp mixture over each of the triangles, distributing evenly. (You can skip the butter and it will still come out fine.)

3. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Note: The top of the shrimp toast may not turn golden brown due to the cilantro. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Make-ahead tip: Make shrimp toast topping up to a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to use.

Nutrients per serving (1 toast). Will vary if using flat bread and skipping the butter.

• Calories 42
• Protein 4g
• Carbohydrate 3g
• Fat 2g
• Dietary fiber 0g
• Cholesterol 31mg
• Sodium 118mg

Baked shrimp toast makes a great appetizer, snack or even a light lunch, i.e. finger sandwiches. Ask Chef Jill to add them to your next cookdate!

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How do you eat your Hummus? That wonderful, creamy mixture of smashed chickpeas, sesame tahini, olive oil, herbs and spices? Most folks eat it like a dip with flat bread or pita, crackers or vegetables. Here’s a twist. The next time you reach for mustard, catsup (ketchup) or mayonnaise – STOP! Look for your hummus instead. 

Yes, that’s right, hummus on your turkey breast, roast beef or even ham sandwich.  It’s healthier and tastier than just about any sandwich topper you can think up.

Healthy? It has less than 1/3 of the fat in regular mayonnaise and a tad less than low fat mayo. Mustard and ketchup can’t hold a spoon to the nutritional value either. And did I mention tasty? Think of all the flavor variations! Kalamata olive, roasted red pepper, garlic, caramelized onion, roasted pine nut, extra spicy and many others that you can dream up on your own.

As a matter of fact, hummus has matured in recent years here in the North East. Grocery stores now carry numerous brands, flavors and styles to suit your tastes. Hummus isn’t that little container of overly vinegared (preserved) mush it once was (unless, of course, you like it that way). It’s smooth, creamy and tastes oh so fresh.

And if you’re adventurous, easy to make as well. Here’s a simple hummus recipe that can be adjusted with any flavors you wish. And you can even substitute ground chickpea flour for canned in a pinch. See After Recipe.

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You don’t need to wait in line at a deli or yearn for the weekend just to have a delicious egg sandwich for breakfast. Here’s a quick tip to get your egg sandwich up and running and its healthier than going to that fast food joint for an Egg McMuffin.

Do you like veggies with your eggs? Here’s a way to prep them ahead of time and make your mornings easier. Grab an onion from the pantry and a pepper from the fridge. Now take your favorite knife or food processor and dice them up.

Next, take a cookie sheet that will fit into your freezer. Place a sheet of wax paper or a silicon pad on it and then spread out the diced veggies evenly so there aren’t any big clumps. Then place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 1-2 hours until the individual dices are frozen. Now you can place the veggies into a Ziplock freezer bag, favorite Tupperware or other freezer container and save in the freezer.

When morning comes (or any other time of day) reach in and take out what you need for a quick sauté, or microwave until heated through. Add to your eggs, cook and go.

If you don’t want your onions and peppers mixed, process them separately.

Don’t forget to try other combinations of veggies, just make sure the dice is small enough to allow for quick cooking. You can also find pre-diced veggies in your grocers freezer section. There’s no reason why you can’t have a quick, healthy breakfast that isn’t complicated or boring.

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