5 Days of Lunch :: Spanish Tortilla

We have dozens of farm-fresh, organic eggs from our CSA share this week!  

I love eggs... scrambled, hard-boiled, fried, soft-boiled, or baked.   Baked eggs (in a quiche or frittata) store nicely in the fridge and can be easily reheated the next day.  A veggie frittata or quiche stays fresh about 3 days.  So what better recipe to make for dinner, and have lunch the next day than the Spanish Tortilla. 

DAY 2: SPANISH TORTILLA

I'd never made a Spanish tortilla before... but figured it couldn't be all that different from a frittata (which I make all the time as a way to use up leftover veggies, meats or cheeses on a Sunday morning).  

8 eggs beaten (I like to limit the amount of yolks usually using a 1:2 ratio - but here I feel the yolks are necessary, so I used 6 of the yolks)

2 tbsp milk

2 red potatoes thinly sliced (finally! a chance to use my new mandolin)

1 large white onion

plenty of olive oil

I used these instructions from the NY Times and topped with sliced tomatoes, a little ricotta, and basil.  

We ate half the tortilla, and saved the rest for the next day. I paired mine with an heirloom tomato salad and took to work.  A. ate his slice for breakfast :-) ...it's actually got me thinking about making muffin-cup size frittatas and storing as a quick 'on the go' breakfast. 

Crave :: Vosges Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix

It sounds a little weird at first...but think about it:  what's better with your Saturday morning diner chocolate chip pancakes than a side of bacon? Vosges just combined it all into one with this deliciously tempting pancake mix! 

It's their Mo's Bacon Bar (which is delicious! Imagine a smokey salty chocolate) with fluffy pancake mix.  

...Must go to Vosges Soho store and buy, will report back! 

5 days of Lunch :: Tomato & Cilantro Tuna Salad

Happy Monday!  Soooo... over the weekend I decided to extend my cooking to lunchtime (during the week lunchtime!). 

I try to cook with local, seasonal, organic ingredients as much as possible at home, but then I get to the office, lunch comes around and it all goes downhill.

 

I'm out to prove that packing lunch for work can be easy, more exciting than a peanut butter sandwich (although I do love a good PB&J!), and healthy.

 

It just requires a little planning ahead.  Here's the plan:

- Coming up with a different lunch dish every day

- Nothing that requires more than 5 minutes of prep time in the morning

- Include  fresh, seasonal ingedients in each meal

Day 1: TOMATO & CILATRO TUNA SALAD

8 oz can of Low Sodium Albacore Tuna in water

1/2 large tomato chopped

Roughly a tablespoon of cilatro leaves (a few sprigs)

Tablespoon of mayo (*if you don't like mayo, skip this step and add a bit more olive oil) 

Teaspoon of mustard

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt and peper to taste

 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and pack up! I paired with Carrs water crackers. 

 

TIP: Part of the hassle of taking lunch to work is: where do you put it? Getting good containers is key. I love Japanese bento boxes! The compartments are perfect for seprating your ingredients so that your not stuck with a mushy mess at noon. The one in the picture I picked up on a trip to Tokyo, but Amazon has a good selection.

I ♥ :: Ed's Lobster Bar (Soho)

After  catching a late afternoon movie at the Angelika, we went to Ed's Lobster Bar in Soho for dinner.

A. (my husband) ordered the Sunday special: Clam Bake, I ordered the Lobster roll! 

Delicious... you cant beat lobster on a buttery roll with a side of fries ...oooh, and cherry pie a la mode for dessert! 

                  

Tip:  Ed's Lobster Bar doesn't take reservations, but sit and eat at the bar and avoid the wait

Dinner & a movie :: Tomato and Ricotta Flatbread

After a long week we decided to stay in on Friday night, make dinner, and watch a movie.   We got hooked on a marathon of HGTV house hunting shows and never got to the movie, but we did make dinner with some of my finds from the farmer's market earlier in the day. 

I had a few rounds of pizza dough and thought that a flatbread would be perfect base to top with fresh ricotta, and the ripe tomatoes!  Since my ingredients were so fresh I wanted to make sure to not overcook them so I baked the crust first, then added my toppings and lightly browned.  Everything but the dough was from this morning's market.

TIP: Pizza dough is great to have around, you can have it plain if you pop it in the oven brushed with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper (imagine paired w/a rustic looking cheese board), or top with veggies/cheeses/meats for an easy dinner.  

Here's what I came up with, but experiment with your own ingredients ... I'm already thinking of what I can pair next time! :-)

FRESH TOMATO & RICOTTA FLATBREAD (for 2, with possibility of leftovers!)

2 rounds store bought pizza dough

2 large, ripe tomatoes (1/4" slices)

1 cup fresh ricotta

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

1/2 an onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup chiffonades of basil (chiffonade: technique of cutting herbs into long strips)

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Sprinkling of Parmesan

Flour for rolling out the dough

1. Defrost pizza dough if frozen. I left mine out at room temperature before going to work and it was perfectly defrosted by the time I wanted to make dinner.  

2. Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly flour the surface where you are rolling out the dough (resist the urge and don't flip the dough, mid-air...believe me, I tried and ended up with a big mess...oops)

3. With a rolling pin (if you don't have one, use a large can or glass bottle) roll out the dough to about 12 inches. You can roll it round, but I find it easier to get a neat rectangular shape.

4. Lightly brush one side of the rolled dough with olive oil, and place this side face down on your baking sheet. Repeat for second round of dough.

5. Place in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned.

6. While dough is in the oven, in a skillet saute chopped onion and garlic until caramelized.  This will sweeten the taste. Remember to start browning onions, then add garlic after a couple minutes, garlic burns easily.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

7. When dough is ready remove from the oven, and turn the crusts over, the side you brushed with olive oil will now be on top.

8. Start assembling your flatbreads! I start with the slices of tomato (which I've drizzled with olive oil and salt), and then the sliced mushrooms (also drizzled with olive oil before - to prevent drying out when you place in the oven). I then crumble the ricotta making sure there's cheese in every bite, then the basil, and sauteed onions and garlic.  I top with a light sprinkle of Parmesan.

9. Return to oven for another 5-8 minutes. 

10. Remove from oven and allow to rest for a minute or so. Slice and enjoy!

We ate most of it, but a small leftover slice was our breakfast this morning. I think next time I might make 3 just for the leftovers!

Summer Friday :: Union Sqaure Farmer's Market

I took a trip this afternoon to one of my favorite places in New York: the Union Square Farmer's Market!  The market is open year-round but Spring and Summer is when it's most bustling.  You'll find anything from vegetables and fruits, to local NY state wines, to preserves and pickles.

Most vendors are happy to let you sample their offerings which makes for an entertaining trip any day.  For me, it's a great way to cook with delicious seasonal ingredients.

Among my favorites today was the cheese from Dancing Ewe Farm . Their tuscan style, hand-crafted cheeses supply restaurants like Babbo and Daniel - yum! I also fell in love with their packaging, they wrapped my pecorino in brightly illustrated paper, with a black ribbon, and label (what a great hostess gift!).

I stocked up on fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, and beautiful flowers for the weekend:

-Peaches (delicious...I couldn't resist and ate one on my walk home!)

-Heirloom tomatoes

-Basil and Cilantro 

-Pecorino from Dancing Ewe Farm 

-Fresh cow's milk ricotta from Dancing Ewe Farm

-Beef Jerkey

-Crimini mushrooms

Lots of cooking to come, stay tuned!

Dinner with a view: Lamb Kebabs

     

It's Monday night and I decided to make a lamb kebab picnic for two to take up to our rooftop and enjoy the breezy summer evening!  

I had ordered lamb kebab pieces from Fresh Direct (un-marinated, vacuum packed) and left them out to defrost in the morning.  I made Indian spice inspired kebabs, and paired with a simple lettuce (from this weeks CSA share!), feta, and cucumber salad; and a side of babaganoush with toasted pita bread slices.

It was delicious...and very simple! 

I placed everything on a large wooden tray (bamboo wood from whole foods) which made for easy cleanup.

LAMB KEBABS (adapted from Bon Appetit)2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons vinegar
Juice of one Lime
2 large garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound lamb shoulder, trimmed into 1-inch pieces (I used Lamb Kebab pieces from Fresh Direct)
4 bamboo skewers, soaked in water a few minutes
1 onion chopped into large 1 inch pieces

Mix all seasonings in a bowl and whisk.  Add lamb pieces and marinate for 30 minutes.Place pieces on bamboo skewers with slices of onions between chunks of lamb. Heat stovetop grill to medium-high (I love my red Le Creuset Griddle!). Brush lightly with olive oil.  

When heated, place the skewers on the griddle. Rotate every couple of minutes and cook to your desired taste... I choose medium. The lamb will continue to cook when you remove from the griddle and since we still needed to make our way to the roof and I didn't want to overcook.

For the salad: I roughly chopped the lettuce, added a few slices of feta cheese, and cucumbers. Seasoned with Olive Oil, salt and pepper.