Monday, February 15, 2010

Egg Cups – Breakfast for Dinner!

I recently watched an episode of Sara Moulton’s Weeknight Meals, and she made something called Eggs Baked in Ham with Sofrito.  This idea was so unique, I was excited to try is for dinner last night!

I simplified the recipe a bit – this is my take on breakfast for dinner!  I served my dish with a side of sweet potato pancakes. 

egg cups

Egg Cups (serves 6)
  • Cooking spray
  • 6 slices of Black Forrest ham lunchmeat, sliced thin
  • 1 package of frozen creamed spinach, thawed
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 T grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray 6 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Gently mold a piece of ham in each of 6 cups, leaving edges to lay around the top. 

Add the nutmeg, 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper to the creamed spinach and combine well.  Fill the bottom of each cup with a spoonful of spinach, leaving an indentation in the center for the egg to sit.

Crack an egg in each cup.  Season with salt & pepper, then sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Bake in oven for about 15 minutes, until eggs are no longer runny.

Carefully remove each cup with a large spoon.

Enjoy!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Marinated Flank Steak

Stuck in the snow-ridden Northeast, food has been a big focus of my comfort these days...  During these bitter cold days, the heat of the kitchen has been keeping me warm.

My good friend Priya gave me this Flank Steak recipe after a successful run in her kitchen. Flank steak is a flavorful, affordable cut of beef. With a little prep, this recipe resulted in a wonderfully tasty, tender main dish. This flank steak can be sliced into thin strips and served with the marinade cooked down to an au jus and a side of mashed potatoes, layered with caramelized onions and melted gruyere for a tasty gourmet steak sandwich, or folded in a tortilla with roasted peppers & onion, cheese and avocado for steak fajitas.



Marinated Flank Steak
  • 12 oz beer
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 1/8 tsp (aka a "dash") ground cloves
  •  1 1/2 lbs. raw lean flank steak, 1-inch thick, washed and patted dry. 
In a 9- X 13-inch glass baking dish, combine beer, oil, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt and cloves; add steak. Cover dish and marinate in refrigerator, turning once or twice, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Place a grill pan in broiler; preheat broiler to high. Remove meat from marinade and broil about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or longer until desired doneness.* Remove meat from broiler and place meat on a plate; loosely cover with aluminum foil and let stand for about 10 minutes.

 Meanwhile, place grill pan on stovetop over high heat; carefully pour marinade onto grill pan. Bring to a boil (beer will foam) and cook until all alcohol burns off, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Thinly slice steak against the grain and serve with sauce. Yields about 4 ounces of steak per serving.


I made delicious fajitas out of this recipe and served it with my Black Bean Corn Salad and Mexican rice. 

For a special touch, take flour tortillas and lay across the burner grate of a gas range.  With the flame on medium, let lightly char on both sides (about 8-10 seconds per side).  This gives the fajita wraps a little extra authentic flavor.


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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Food News, this one is a pretty important read...

Dear Readers,

My apologies for my lack of posts in the past few weeks.  I have been cooking, just not getting it together to take pictures and blog about it.  I'll pick it up soon, I promise.

When it comes to buying lettuce or spinach, I tend to stay away from the convenient bagged salad mixes at the grocery store.  They don't stay fresh for very long, and I just like to be the one washing my lettuce so I know it's getting clean!  I came across an article this morning that I think is something that every salad-eater should read.  After reading this, I am happy with my choice to stick to those heads of romaine!

Packaged Salad Bacteria: New Study Finds Salad Can Contain High Levels of Fecal Bacteria

Happy reading and happy cooking, my faithful readers!


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