Showing posts with label Eggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eggs. Show all posts

Tomato-Spinach-Dill Quiche w/ Potato Crust

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20TH, 2010

4 stars (out of 5)

I found this recipe on the same blog as the salad from the previous entry for the spinach salad (http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/06/tomato-spinach-and-dill-quiche-with.html). The blogger looks like she has some pretty good recipes on there. This one appealed to me because I thought that the shredded potato pie crust was funny, and also because I haven't made a quiche for a long time (oh, and I was craving dill!).

Ingredients:

1 package of shredded hashbrown potatoes*
Garlic powder (optional)
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
2 tbsp red onion
2 tsp dry dill**
1/4 cup feta cheese
7 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

{*Note. Available at IGA. In the original recipe, she actually grated the potatoes herself. I don't really have the time, nor the patience to do this, so I "cheated" and just bought the pre-shredded version. If you have a nice evening that you would like do it from scratch, I recommend looking at her blog. But, if you're like me, you would much prefer to sip on a glass of wine and read a book than stand around shredding potatoes.}.

{**Note. I also added about 2-3 tbsp of fresh dill, and really recommend doing this. Even with this much dill, I think it could have used some more!}.


Preheat oven to 375F.

1. First, I patted the shredded potatoes dry, and spread them in a pie dish. I pressed them down fairly hard and then sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. I then placed it in the oven for about 12-14 minutes. It's not very finicky on this count - you can leave it in for a bit longer without it burning (which I did as I prepared the other ingredients).


2. As the pie crust was cooking, I crumbled the feta, diced the tomato, sliced the spinach, and chopped the red onion.


3. I then beat the eggs, milk, and dill together in a separate bowl.




4. When everything was prepped, I removed the pie crust from the oven, and added the tomato, spinach, red onion, and 1/2 the feta cheese.


5. I then poured the egg mixture over top, and sprinkled on the remaining feta cheese.


6. I popped it in the oven for an additional 30-40 minutes, and let it stand for a few minutes before serving.




Overall, this was pretty simple to make, and very stress free. I originally searched for it because I was craving something fairly healthy which had dill in it. I think that the dill could either be increased, or I could have added more salt, which would have made the dill flavour pop more. One note, I would make the potato crust very very thin, or even mix some flavours right into it before setting it in the pie place. Surprisingly, it did make a very good, sturdy crust (and simple!), which I was pleased to see. I will make this recipe again (leftovers were even good for breaky the next day!), probably just adding more dill and salt. SB really liked it, and it was a nice change from our other meals.

Hearty Salad from the South-West of France

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, 2009

5 stars (out of 5 - a very hearty meal in a bowl)

It was SB's birthday dinner and he wanted us to make this huge salad that is popular in the south of France...

Ingredients:

Spring salad mix
Prosciutto
1 package Magret de canard (fumé)
Cherry tomatoes
Shredded cheese*
Potatoes (1 per person)
Eggs (1 per person)

Dressing: (as you wish)
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
White wine vinegar

1. First we peeled the potatoes, and sliced them as finely as we could. We put them in a pan with olive oil and fried them for a long time. You want them to be very well-cooked.


2. As the potatoes were cooking, we shredded the cheese and chopped the cherry tomatoes in half. We also started boiling the eggs (1 egg per person; for soft-boiled we left them in for four minutes).


3. We then made the dressing by mixing in dijon mustard (3 tsp) and white wine vinegard (1 tbsp approx) and olive oil, until smooth.


4. After the potatoes were ready (see above pic), we started the salad by using HUGE bowls and layering the bottom with the spring salad mix and tomatoes.


5. Next, we added a layer of magret de canard...


6. ... and topped this with another layer of salad, followed by the cooked potatoes.


7. Then added the cheese...


8. ...prosciutto...


9. ... and then the magret de canard and potatoes.


10. Finally, we topped it with a soft-boiled egg and the dressing.


We served it with champagne to complete the French experience ;)

My version, sans meat:


Me, not sure what to expect:


SB looking happy with his creation:


And yes, SB did finish his whole HUGE salad:


Overall, this was a quite delicious salad. I liked the warm egg and potatoes , which made it a very hearty meal (even without meat). I think that for us Canadian meat-eaters (and the budget-conscious), just one of the meats would suffice, but what do I know?! I will definitely be making this again, on another special occasion.

Home-made Salsa stuffed Omelette

SUNDAY, MAY 3RD, 2009

3.5 stars (out of 5 - pretty good)

We wanted to try something different for breakfast today, so we decided on an omelette with lots of stuffing (I don't like things that are too "eggy"). This recipe was from a book I just recently discovered on my bookshelf.

Ingredients:

Omelette:

4 eggs
1/3 cup of milk

Salsa:

3 fairly ripe tomatoes
1 avacodo
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro (reduce if you don't want it too strong)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp lime juice

1. First, I coursely chopped the tomatoes and cilantro added them to a medium sized bowl. As I was making it, SB informed me that he doesn't care too much for cilantro (great!), so I really reduced the amount. It still had a lot of flavour, so unless you absolutely love love love cilantro, I would reduce it to a little less than the said amount.


2. I then added the garlic, red onion, and lime juice, and mixed it all up. You can prepare this part all ahead of time, but make sure that you only do Step 3 right before serving.




3. I then added the chopped avacodo to finish the salsa.


4. While the salsa was being mixed, SB mixed up the eggs and milk into a bowl.


5. He then separated the mixture in order to make two omelettes, and fried them, very thin in a frying pan.


6. After they were cooked, we added the salsa to the omelette.


7. We then very carefully rolled them up.




Overall, it was a refreshing change. I don't like really eggy omelettes, so it was ideal for me. However, I think the salsa, served at a party with some chips might be a better way to enjoy it. It was almost more of a dinner omelette (if such a thing exists). You also have to be careful, because so many people don't like cilantro, and it's really what gives the salsa its flavour in this recipe.