Leftover frittata

What do you do when you have a lot of eggs, a lot of onions, a lot of sweet corn and a lot of frankfurters? Make a leftover frittata!



Ok, this doesn't look too appetising cos I burnt the bottom *.* But I thought it was quite yummy!

Leftover frittata
(serves six)

Ingredients:

Olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
2 frankfurters, sliced
2 handfuls of frozen sweet corn

6 eggs, well beaten
50ml milk
Herbs
Pepper
Salt

Directions:

1) Sauté the onions, frankfurters and corn in heated oil until the onions are tender.

2) Mix the eggs, milk and seasoning, and pour into the pan.

3) Cover and cook over low heat until the edge starts to set. Run a spatula around the edge and lift the mixture to allow the uncooked egg mixture to flow to the bottom.

4) If the bottom starts to brown (lift to look) but the top is yet to set completely, remove from heat and turn the frittata out onto a plate and slide it back into the pan to cook the other side. This may not be necessary if you remember the cover - I forgot *.*

5) Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

That was modified from the following recipe that I got from my first CCIS (Community Council for International Students) cooking class last year. If I try it next time, I'll pose a picture!

Skillet corn and potato frittata
(serves eight)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 cup diced potato
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup drained canned corn
10 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cream cup cream or milk
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
Green or red pepper cut into thin rings
4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheese - cheddar, Swiss or jack

Directions:

1) In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and butter.

2) Add potatoes and onions and sauté until tender - about five minutes - before stirring in the corn.

3) Combine eggs, cream, basil, thyme, salt and pepper.

4) Pour egg mixture over potato mixture, cook over low heat for six minutes. As the edge sets, run a spatula around the edge and lift the mixture to allow the egg to flow to the bottom.

5) Top with pepper slices, and cover and cook a few more minutes until the top is almost set.

6) Sprinkle with cheese, and cover and cook until the cheese is melted. If the frittata starts to brown too much, turn down the heat.

7) Remove skillet from heat, uncover and let stand for five minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Variations:

1) Add 1 cup of chopped ham or cooked crumbled sausage.

2) Use sliced tomatoes with of instead of peppers.

Notes on potatoes:

1) Russet, Idaho - high in starch and good for baked potatoes, mashed potatoes and French fries.

2) Thin-skinned - low in starch with firmer texture and good for boiling, salads, sautés, roasting and in sauces.

Seafood chowder

Another recipe from the cooking class. It's actually not difficult to make a chowder! The only thing is controlling portions... Sito and I had 2.5 bowls of this, each! But it's mostly vege, right..?



Seafood chowder
(serves 10-12 as a starter, or 2-4 as a main course)

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped

3-4 cups water
I large potato, peeled and diced

6 tbsp flour
240ml milk

500g skinned and boned fish, cut into bite-size pieces
100g bay scallops or sea scallops cut into quarters
Salt
Dry herbs
Pepper

100g green peas or mixed vegetables
120ml cream - half and half, heavy cream or whipping cream

Directions:

1) Saute bacon until crisp. Remove and place on paper towel. When cooled, crumble by hand or with the paper towel. Drain most of the fats in the pot.

2) Saute onion and celery over low heat until softened. Do not brown. Add garlic.

3) Add water and potato, and simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

4) In a bowl, add flour to half the milk. Mix until smooth and stir in the remaining milk. Stir the mixture into the potatoes and let it simmer so that the flour is cooked; otherwise, there will be a floury smell...

5) Add fish, scallops and seasoning, and stir until fish is cooked.

6) Stir in peas and cream. Do not let the soup boil after adding the cream. Just heat gently.

7) Let the chowder stand for 30 min to blend the flavours. Heat to serve, topped with crumbled bacon.

Notes:

Chowder may be cooled and reheated just before serving but do not boil.

Use a firm-fleshed fish such as cod, haddock or whiting. I used salmon as I happened to have salmon in the fridge. And yes, I like the colour :)

Substitute 120ml of water for dry white wine for more flavour. Add it with the fish.

Roast chicken with sinful gravy

This takes time but it's really quite easy. And while the bird roasts happily in the oven, prepare the rest of the meal!



And the full meal, with the baked excess stuffing and steamed cauliflower :)



Roast chicken

Ingredients:

For chicken:
Chicken - mine weighed 2kg
Bread stuffing or rice stuffing
Salt
Oil or butter

For gravy:
Poultry drippings - from my 2kg chicken; adjust below for other sizes
240ml hot milk
15g flour
30ml cold milk
Salt
Pepper

Special equipment:

Roasting rack and pan - I got one just for this!

Directions:

Chicken:

1) Clean the chicken inside out! Pat dry.

2) Loosely fill the cavity with stuffing; the stuffing will expand during roasting. Fasten with toothpicks and if necessary, twine. I used only five or six toothpicks.

3) Tuck the wings and legs away.

4) Place the bird breast side up on the roasting rack and rub the skin with salt and oil or softened butter. I used butter. Roast at 170°C for 2 hours - or 1 hour for every kg of chicken with stuffing - or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F at the breast and in the stuffing, and 175°F at the thighs. If the bird browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil and continue to cook.

5) Let the bird stand for at least 15 minutes before removing the stuffing and carving. Save the drippings in the pan under the rack for the gravy...

Gravy:

6) Now the gravy... Skim off excess oil - well, it will still be oily :p - and pour the drippings into hot milk in a pan.

7) Mix flour and cold milk until smooth, and add to the hot liquid.

8) Stir and cook until the mixture boils and thickens. Adjust thickness with more milk or more flour in water. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes:

Do not to freeze stuffed bird! Once stuffed, cook immediately.

Any remaining bread stuffing can be baked in a greased covered casserole at 170°C for 30-45 min or until thoroughly heated; any remaining rice stuffing can be cooked similarly or fried like fried rice :) I simply wrap it up with aluminium foil and pop the package onto the lower rack under the roasting pan 45 min before the chicken was done.

If the chicken is really fatty, prick the skin in several spots before roasting to allow excess fat to escape, and do not rub skin with any butter etc. During roasting, skim off excess fat.

During the last half of roasting time, the bird may be basted with pan drippings or sauce. When it's two-thirds done, cut skin or string holding the drumsticks.

Rice stuffing

We made this at the cooking class to use in a baked stuffed fish. I didn't particularly like that dish - the fish wasn't very tasty. But we had the rice as a side dish and that definitely left an impression!



Looks good right? But as usual, it's not salty enough... And I forgot to taste the rice before adding the egg so... I doubled the amount of salt in the following recipe.

Rice stuffing

Ingredients:

30g butter
3 stalks of celery, cubed
4 white mushrooms, sliced
4 stalks of spring onions, sliced
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1/2 tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp rosemary
1 egg - beaten

Directions:

1) Steam the rice and set aside.

2) Cook celery, mushrooms and spring onions in butter until tender.

3) Remove from heat and add rice and seasoning. Mix well.

4) Stir in the egg and use the stuffing as required.

Note:

You can also omit the egg and serve the rice on its own.

The original recipe calls for 2 tbsp of chopped parsley and 1/2 tsp tarragon or poultry seasoning. I didn't have either so I substituted them with thyme and rosemary. And, I just realised that I forgot the spring onions *.*

Banana walnut cake

Made this for my baby shower today. Nicely browned outside and crumbly inside :)



Banana walnut cake

Ingredients:

113g butter
300g sugar - I used only 220g, including some 50g brown sugar; still yummy!

2 eggs
3 very ripe banana - mashed
1 tsp vanilla

250g flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

60ml sour milk - add 1 tsp vinegar to 60ml milk

120g chopped walnuts

Special equipment:

9x5-inch loaf pan, which I don't have! That's why my cake is round - my 7-inch cake pan has about the same surface area as a 9x5-inch loaf - 38 sq inches vs. 45 sq inches, which means my cake is taller than usual so I added 10 minutes of oven time.

Directions:

1) Cream butter and sugar.

2) Beat in eggs, followed by bananas and vanilla.

3) Combine flour, salt, baking soda and powder in a separate bowl.

4) Stir half of the flour mixture into the banana mixture, mixing lightly.

5) Stir in sour milk.

6) Add remaining flour mixture. Do not beat.

7) Stir in nuts.

8) Pour into greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan and bake at 170°C for one hour.

9) Let rest in pan for 5 min before turning out on a wire rack to cool.

Cooking notes: Fish

I never knew how to cook yummy fish dishes, except for baked salmon and later, fish creole.

The cooking class last month taught me new ways to make fish yummy, though most methods still require baking. Oh well, that's easier than frying or steaming.. Here are some stuff from the handouts:

Basic facts:

Fat fish contain more than 5% fat. They are good for baking and grilling as their natural oils help keep them moist as they cook.

Lean fish contain less than 5%. They require preparation methods that retain moisture, e.g. steaming, poaching and microwaving. They can be baked if basted frequently or if cooked with a sauce.

Both fat and lean fish are good for frying. What isn't? :p

Marinades, glazes and seasoning should enhance rather than overpower natural fish flavours. Lean fish are usually mild-flavoured and complemented by mild seasonings, while fat fish have stronger flavours and can tolerate more pronounced seasonings.

Before cooking, always check for leftover scales, wash with cold water and pat dry. Fish is cooked when it flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Baking:

Suitable for red snapper, bass, haddock, shad, bluefish, weakfish, cod and salmon.

1) If desired, stuff fish with bread or rice stuffing and close with toothpicks and twine. Or use other seasoning.

2) Bake at 170°C at 10-15 min per pound of fish. For salmon, use up to 200°C.

Grilling:

Suitable for split whole mackerel, whitefish, sea and brook trout; fillets of sole, flounder and whiting; steaks of salmon, tuna, cod, haddock, halibut and swordfish.

1) Place on greased rack and brush with melted fat. Season.

2) Grill fish about 3-4 inches from heat. Avoid heat that's too high. Steaks and whole fish may be turned once. Fillets usually do not need turning.

3) Grill about 5-10 min for fillets, 6-12 min for steaks, 6-20 min for whole fish.

Pan-frying:

Suitable for all cuts of perch, rockfish, catfish, cod, haddock, butterfish, flounder, sole, sunfish, bream, porgies, trout, mullet and smelts.

1) Cut fillets and steaks into serving pieces. Leave small fish whole. If skin is left on, make cuts on the skin so that the fish doesn't curl when cooking.

2) Roll in seasoned flour, then beaten egg + 1 tbsp cold water, then bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. Place fish on wire rack to dry for about 30 min.

3) Heat enough fat to cover bottom of skillet and fry fish 3-5 min on each side.

Deep-frying:

Suitable for fillets such as sole, flounder, cod, haddock, whitefish, ocean perch and whiting; whole small butterfish, porgies, smelts and perch.

It's like pan-frying but immerse the fish in deep hot fat until golden brown.

Poaching:

Suitable for thick fish steaks or large chunks of fish or even fillets; e.g. halibut, cod, carp, haddock, red snapper, salmon, pickerel, trout, pike and sole.

1) Pour about 2 cups of water into a large skillet. Add 1.5 tsp salt, 1 slice of lemon or 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 slice of onion separated into rings, a few parsley sprigs or celery leaves, 1/4 tsp peppercorns and 1 bay leaf.

2) Boil for five minutes and reduce heat.

3) Add fish, cover and simmer gently for about 10 min. If fish is thick, turn once during cooking.

4) Serve hot with sauce. The fish stock may be used for the sauce or other preparations. Or, cool the fish in the broth, chill and serve with mayonnaise, thousand island or fresh lemon juice.

Steaming:

Suitable for large chunks of non-oily fish; steaks, fillets and whole small fish; e.g. cod, bluefish, bass, scrod, red snapper, carp and flounder.

1) Place on a greased rack that fits into a steamer or a saucepan of water. Season.

2) Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and steam for 10 min per pound of fish.

Fish creole

This is another dish from the last cooking class, but heavily modified - I skipped the celery as I didn't want to buy a whole big stalk just for this; I used more green pepper instead; I didn't want to buy oregano just for this so I used thyme instead; I lost my diced tomatoes among my canned food so I used freshly diced tomatoes and 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup.

The topping still turned out really well! But I didn't thaw my fish and I didn't have enough time before Sito had to go for class so I ended up microwaving the dish.



Fish creole
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 lb fish fillets
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tbsp chopped green pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
8 oz stewed diced tomatoes

Directions:

1) Arrange fish fillets in ungreased 8-inch square baking dish.

2) Saute onion, celery and green pepper in butter until tender.

3) Stir in the remaining ingredients.

4) Spoon over fish and bake at 175°C for 15-20 min. Or microwave covered on high for 7-9 min.

Oatmeal and raisin cookies

Made these yesterday - so easy and so yummy! :) Crunchy with a good bite into the raisins, and not too sweet. Sito likes it so much he had two at one go!



Oatmeal and raisin cookies
(makes 20-24)

Ingredients:

115g butter
75g brown sugar
50g sugar

1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

100g flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp salt

140g quick-cooking oatmeal
5 tbsp golden raisins

Directions:

1) Beat the sugar into the butter before beating in the egg and vanilla essence.

2) Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt well, and add the mixture into the butter mixture.

3) Stir in the oatmeal and raisins.

4) Scoop slightly rounded tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 min for 175°C.

Cooking notes: Garlic

My garlic used to burn all the time, resulting in brown aglio olio pasta *.* Then I discovered that I could start with a cold pan and heat the garlic together with the oil, and as the oil starts to sizzle, add in the other ingredients and stir quickly. Quite happy to read this in a newsletter from America's Test Kitchen this morning :)

Some notes - mf-ised - from the newsletter:

1) Take it slow

Garlic turns dark brown in less than a minute, but rushing the cooking process will result in a one-dimensional, harsh flavour instead of sweet, nutty notes. If a recipe starts by cooking garlic in oil, place the oil and garlic in a cold pan, then turn on the heat to medium-low or medium.

2) Get it small

Minced garlic gives the best flavours. But! I'm not a fan of chopping garlic - so I buy ready-to-use minced garlic! Granted, it may not be the freshest... Well, if you chop it yourself, the tip is to sprinkle roughly-chopped garlic with a pinch of kosher salt which acts as an abrasive that aids in breaking down the garlic further. It also keeps the pieces from clinging to the knife blade.

Basic white sauce

Hmmm, I don't remember where I found this recipe... Anyway, this was the second time I made white sauce - the first time was in Oxford and unsuccessful!

I threw two big servings of blanched broccoli into the sauce and voila! A yummy side :)



Basic white sauce
(makes 240 ml, enough to generously coat pasta for two or a lot of broccoli)

Ingredients:

30g butter
15g flour
240ml milk - I used fat free milk, which worked fine
Salt (optional)
Pepper (optional)

Special equipment:
Non-stick pan, silicon whisk or spatula; I used a wooden spatula cos that's all I have! But I think a whisk is better if you make more so that the flour can be blended in quickly and thoroughly...

Directions:

1) Melt the butter over low to medium heat. Be careful not to let it burn.

2) Blend in the flour and cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly. The original recipe calls for salt and pepper to be added now but I prefer a truly basic white sauce that can be seasoned to taste later.

3) Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Again, be careful not to let it burn. I consider it done when the bottom of the pan shows for a split second as I drag the spatula across.

Variations:

Thin white sauce:
Halve butter and flour.

Thick white sauce:
Double butter and flour.

Cheddar cheese sauce:
Reduce butter and flour by a quarter each. Prepare basic white sauce and stir in 800g of shredded cheddar cheese. Heat and stir over low heat until smooth and the cheese is melted.

Crispy baked tomato halves

Made these as a side for lunch today! But I used just one tomato so I adjusted the original recipe. I also didn't use cheese, and instead of sprinkling the seasoning on the tomato, I mixed it into the crumbs. But I think I used too little butter - the crumbs fell apart easily. Still, pretty :)



Crispy baked tomato halves
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 medium tomatoes - cut in half
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp butter
Herbs, e.g. parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, chives or a combination
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - grated

Directions:

1) Place the tomatoes cut-side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2) Mix breadcrumbs with butter and stir in herbs and cheese. Pack onto tomatoes.

3) Bake at 170°C until softened but not mushy, and the crumbs are brown, about 25 min.

Idiot-proof baked salmon

There is no simpler fish dish! I mean, hello, it's the only fish dish I can make haha!

But I realise I didn't take any photo of my own baked fish - probably too ugly :p So I'll use this photo from the cooking class today, where we had a fish sampler meal. There's a little bit of salmon in there, if you look carefully...


Clockwise from the salad: Crispy baked tomato, breaded fish, stuffed fish, rice stuffing, baked salmon, fish creole, and seafood chowder in the bowl - will be posting more recipes when I try them myself!

That was a really simple recipe. I added one more spice to mine - paprika, cos I like the specks of red on pink :)

Idiot-proof baked salmon

Ingredients:

Salmon fillet
Olive oil or melted butter
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Herbs
Lemon juice

Directions:

1) Wash fish and pat dry.

2) Place fish skin-side down on oiled foil in a baking dish.

3) If fillet is big, cut into serving size by cutting only down to the skin but not through - the cooked fish can be easily scooped up from the skin.

4) Brush with olive oil or butter. Sprinkle with remaining seasoning. Drizzle with lemon juice.

5) Baked in a 220°C oven for 10-20 min or until the fish flakes easily.

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

I had a lot of peanut butter at home so I made these for our Oscars party! They turned out a tad too dry though - probably cos I used low fat PB *.*



Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
(makes about three dozens)

Ingredients:

170g butter at room temperature - I used 100g plus 70g creamy PB
225g sugar
100g brown sugar

170g crunchy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

280g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

340g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

3) Blend in peanut butter, egg and vanilla until mixture is smooth.

4) Mix flour, baking soda and salt, and gradually mix into the butter mixture until dough comes together and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.

5) Stir in chocolate chips.

6) Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them to allow for spread.

7) Bake for 11-14 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned and set around the edges (slightly longer baking will result in crispier cookies).

8) Cool cookies for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.