austin avocado omelet

Several years ago, I was checking out seminaries and spent a weekend at Austin Seminary.  While I didn't feel called to go there, I discovered something amazingly tasty in Austin: omelets with creamy avocado.  I also remember that the cafe had a carafe of coffee and mugs while you waited for a table.  That was especially fantastic.  After a wonderful week in Florida with my German friends the Kuhlas, I slept in and craved these omelets this morning.  They're especially good with a bit of turkey or ham in them, but I just used what I had: sharp white cheddar and avocado.  

 Simple egg prep stuff: s&p in two eggs.

 Whisk together and for a bit of extra flavor, add whatever herb you have on hand.

 (I used thyme.)

Heat a small nonstick skilled over medium-high heat.  Put some of this super-healhy delicious stuff in it. :)

  Add the eggs and cook until just set.  (When you add the eggs, pour them directly over the butter and it will spread out under them.)  Once they're set, flip it over gently, using a spatula.

Slice up your avocado while the eggs cook.  If you open your avocado and it looks as pretty as mine does, do a happy dance!

 My sweet dog really wanted a bite of avocado.

Grate some cheese.  I sort of have an aversion to bright orange cheese: this sharp white cheddar is the best.

 Please can I have some cheese?

After you flip the eggs, add a little cheese to one side, then layer the avocado on top and season well with salt and pepper.  Add more cheese on top and fold the omelet in half, cooking until the cheese melts.  

Slice some bread to toast if you like.  I'm infatuated with this honey brown bread.  If your omelet breaks a little, don't sweat it.  There are bigger issues in the world than broken omelets!  I make mine really thick, which is probably more Texas style than french style.  I'm sure Julia would reprimand me for this, but I love big, fluffy omelets.

Enjoy!  The creaminess of the avocado with the sharp cheddar and kick of pepper is just divine.

Bon appetit,
lilrevchef

My Favorite Meal, Ever.

I hope you're all having a deliciously wonderful Thanksgiving, y'all!  My family and I are doing the big feast on Saturday, but today began with something special: my Mom's breakfast casserole.  Which also happens to be My Very Favorite Food in the Whole Wide World.  Really, it is.  Once we had filled ourselves full of rich, hot coffee (as is our tradition)...

...we sat down to devour this amazing beauty.  The recipe's below.  You won't believe it only has 4 eggs in it!

Here's the recipe (which was served at my bon voyage brunch when I left for Belfast a few years ago).

 yum.

 Yum.

 YUM.

Enjoy your day, give thanks for the food you have to eat and the company you have to share it with (pet and otherwise).  I have so much to be thankful for, and breakfast casserole?  Well, that makes my coffee cup runneth over with gratitude.

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef

one last taste of summer

Spring Pea Risotto with Poached Egg and Basil

Summertime is blissful: long lazy nights, dips in the ocean, guilt-free monstrous consumption of Blue Bell ice cream, air conditioning.  But don't tell summer, fall's my favorite season: cooler temperatures that make walks outside bearable, hearty food, cinnamon in my coffee, that scent in the air, curling up with a wee cuppa.  Before that autumnal elation begins, I thought I'd have one last hurrah to summer with this risotto.  I adore risotto (and once butternut squash starts appearing, you'll have my favorite risotto recipe).  Risotto tends to intimidate folks, but it's really not difficult.  And there's something cathartic about the process of making it, stirring it gently until it turns creamy and tossing in whatever strikes your fancy.  

Finely chop one onion and two cloves of garlic.  Risotto always begins with onion and garlic, sauteed in olive oil and butter (just 1 tablespoon) in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan.  As always, season the onions and garlic with a little s&p.


You can't make risotto with any old rice: you'll need Arborio rice.  You can find it in any grocery store.  It's Italian short-grained rice (because short things are wonderful).  Something about that growth-challenged grain becomes creamy and decadent when stirred with warm chicken stock.  You'll love it.  I used one cup of arborio rice: it makes four servings.

Take one carton (16 oz. I think) of chicken stock and heat in a deep saucepan until gently simmering.  You'll want it to keep simmering while making risotto, so it's nice and warm when you add it a bit at a time.  I recommend low-sodium so you can control how salty it is.

After cooking the onions and garlic for a few minutes, add the rice and cook on medium-low for a few minutes until the rice turns translucent.  At this point you can add 1/3 cup of white wine and let it reduce for a couple of minutes.  All I had was red wine, and though it would taste good, I didn't fancy pink risotto so I didn't add any.  

 Add chicken stock by the ladleful (or using a measuring cup like I did) and stir until almost all of the liquid is absorbed.

It'll look like this when it's ready for more stock.  Keep adding stock and stirring so it doesn't stick, until the rice is al dente and creamy, about 20 minutes.  I know this seems like a long time to stand by a pot stirring it, but in our non-stop society, a bit of a slowdown isn't a bad thing.  Risotto as counter-cultural act!  (Okay, perhaps not, but it's just delicious.)

Here's how it looks when it's done.  Now you get to add all sorts of wonderful things:

 

I added fresh basil,

frozen petite garden peas (note that taking a picture while pouring in peas leads to a proliferous pea situation, which I don't mind),

freshly grated parmesan, one tablespoon of butter and the zest of one lemon.  Stir together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now onto that delicate little poached egg to top your summery risotto.  Fill a deep pan with water, add a splash of vinegar and bring to a boil.

 Crack an egg into a cup (or that handy cup measure of mine)...

...and place it in the boiling water by quickly turning the cup measure over with a flick of your wrist.  The quick motion of the egg hitting the water will help the whites envelop the yolk and the vinegar (which you won't taste) will keep it from falling apart.  For a soft-poached egg, cook for 4 minutes.

 Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Top that resplendent risotto with the egg and a little cracked pepper.

Break open the yolk and enjoy a creamy, fresh taste of summer.  Fall's on its way!

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef

frittatastic

(*m.f.e.o: an amorous phrase, derived from Sleepless in Seattle meaning "made for each other")

Pop quiz time!  What did I mention in an earlier post as my favorite food?  Okay, I'll be nice and give you the answer: eggs.  Now before you judge that as a rather boring favorite food (when compared to the glory of chocolate or the flamboyance of coq au vin, for instance), let me explain.  Eggs are incredibly versatile, are delightful and nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner and something I just never tire of eating.

And if these ellipsoidal wonders are my favorite food, well then my favorite thing to add to them is potatoes.  They just go together perfectly.  So, this morning I decided to make my favorite thing (eggs) with its favorite thing (potatoes) in my favorite way of late: a frittata.  With all those t's it has to be delicious. :)  I'll walk you through how I make a frittata with plenty of pictures.  It's very simple but has an elegance that regular ol' scrambled eggaroos lack.  My recipe makes a medium-sized frittata: enough for 2.  Let's get our frittata on, shall we?

 Take half of a large red new potato (or a whole small one): half and slice thinly.

Saute it on medium heat in a small non-stick skillet in 1 T butter.  Add a bit of salt (mine is a wee bit fancy: French fleur de sel that I purchased in Geneva, but any sea salt'll do) and fresh cracked pepper.

Thinly slice 1/4 of a medium onion and add that, too.  Saute for about 10 minutes until onions are soft and potatoes are lightly browned and tender.

Finely mince a small clove of garlic and add that to the potatoes and onions.  Turn down to medium-low and saute just for a few minutes, until fragrant.  (If you're thinking "Garlic? In eggs?!" fear not, it's amazing.)

Chiffonade (roll into a cigar shape and thinly chop) this much basil.  Mmm, basil.  You could also use thyme or parsley.

Whisk (with that same super-complicated tool) 2 eggs with 2 T of heavy cream.  Don't worry, 2 T is not all that much.  And in order to make your frittata light and fluffy, you're gonna need that cream.  Season with s&p and add the basil. (I'm waiting for my HEB product endorsement check any day...)

Add to potato mixture in skillet, lightly mixing. Then, leave it.  Let it hang out and do its thing until it's cooked around the edges, about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, get yourself a second cup of coffee.  You deserve it.

You can also be getting some cheese ready to top it with.  I tend to be a bit lazy and prefer to just chop cheese into tiny pieces while I'm already using my knife and cutting board instead of going to the trouble of getting out (and later washing) the grater.  I'm using colby jack because it's what I had, but you can use anything at all: parmesan (shaved off in big pieces remember!) would be uber elegant.

 This is how your eggs should look, set at edges and loose on the top.

Broil it in the oven until the top is set and starting to brown (see pic above).  **Warning: this happens super fast!** It really will only take about 30 seconds. Take it out of the oven, add your cheese on top and stick it back under the broiler for another 30 seconds or so, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Here's your glorious, rustic potato basil frittata.

 Enjoy!  I had mine with an english muffin for breakfast, but you could have this for lunch between toasted ciabatta bread with a bit of mayo, tomato and arugula (rocket) as an amazing sandwich.  Or for dinner, pair with a nice crisp pinot grigio and a simple salad.

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef