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Snacking on Scotch Eggs

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You already know how I feel about eggs. We go through about 60 eggs here a week. Okay, so a lot of that goes to my baking business- but we are egg lovers, and one of our favorite ways to have them are Scotched.

Take a hard-boiled egg, cover in ground sausage meat, and fry. Doesn’t sound that hard, does it? I didn’t think so either, until I actually tried making the little suckers- and it was, to quote Tim Gunn, a big hot mess. The meat slipped off the eggs, leaving me with naked hard-boiled eggs, fried with some ground sausage. Tasted good, though.

Then I found this recipe, which is from the BBC’s food section– which, scotch eggs being British, is where I should have looked in the first place. It worked like a dream.

Scotch Eggs
Source: BBC Food

4 large eggs
275g/10oz sausage meat
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 spring onion, very finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125g/4oz plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
125g/4oz plain breadcrumbs (I like to use Panko- gives it that extra crunch)
vegetable oil, for deep frying

Place the eggs, still in their shells, in a pan of cold salted water. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for around 8 minutes. Drain and cool the eggs under cold running water, then peel.

Mix the sausage meat with the thyme, parsley and spring onion in a bowl and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper (Simon recommends being generous with the freshly ground black pepper). Divide the sausage meat mixture into four and flatten each out on a clean surface into ovals about 12.5cm/5in long and 7.5cm/3in at its widest point.

Place the seasoned flour onto a plate, then dredge each boiled egg in the flour. Place each onto a sausage meat oval, then wrap the sausage meat around each egg. Make sure the coating is smooth and completely covers each egg. Dip each sausage meat-coated egg in the beaten egg, rolling to coat completely, then dip and roll into the breadcrumbs to completely cover.

Heat the oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pan, until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)

Carefully place each scotch egg into the hot oil and deep-fry for 8-10 minutes, until golden and crisp and the sausage meat is completely cooked. Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Homemade BLTs = Love

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On some days, it feels like the height of summer here. On those days, much as I love my usual comfort food of stews and roasts, all I want is a sandwich. A good, filling sandwich made with crispy fresh organic lettuce, juicy red tomato slices, and cool, creamy mayonnaise. A sandwich like this one: my homemade Bacon Lettuce & Tomato sandwich, otherwise known as the BLT.

Because however hot it gets, I always love bacon.

I’m fine with just this sandwich and a tall glass of water, but some people like adding sides to this delicious meal. My mom absolutely must have a small pile of barbecue Kettle chips, and my husband likes a crunchy kosher pickle to nibble on between bites.

Whichever way you want to have this sandwich, I urge you to have it. It’s perfection in a sandwich.

Homemade Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches
Serves 2

4 slices good bread. Whole wheat is fine, but I prefer brioche (who doesn’t?)
6 slices thick bacon. Turkey is fine. Pepper bacon is awesome. So is regular smoked bacon. I could go on, you know.
Fresh lettuce, washed and spun-dried
Fresh red tomato, thickly sliced
Cheese slices. Optional. I LOVE provolone on this, but anything that you prefer. Or none at all.
Good mayonnaise. Hellmann’s/Best Foods has my heart.

Cook bacon over LOW heat. You want it crispy but not charred, with a little bit of chewiness in there. Set aside.
Lightly toast bread slices.
For each sandwich (this recipe makes two): Spread one piece of bread with mayonnaise. On the other slice of bread, make layers like so: Bacon, Tomato, Cheese, Lettuce. Top with mayonnaised slice of bread. Repeat for other sandwich.

Healthy Breakfast Choices

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My husband and I, night owls for a long, long time, have become morning people. And by that, I mean really early morning people: we’re up by 5, mostly 4:30. We’ve been getting a lot more done since switching our schedule, but one of the biggest perks has got to be having lots of time for breakfast.

Because, gosh, do I love breakfast. Bacon, eggs, sausages, pancakes, waffles… some of my favorite foods in the world are breakfast foods.

Lately, though, I’ve been wanting to go a little healthier when it comes to planning our morning meal. Much as I love bacon, I realize that having it every day is not a good long-term plan.

So recently we hit the grocery, and picked up some healthy breakfast options, which I share with you here:

  • Oat Bran. As a child, I had porridge every single day. Oat bran, the healthier, more fiber-ous cousin of oatmeal, takes minutes to cook, and is simply delicious with some low-fat milk and raw sugar sprinkled into it. It’s good for my husband, too- who’s a diabetic.
  • Fresh Berries. The aforementioned oat bran becomes even more heavenly with some fresh berries mixed in. I’m partial to blueberries and strawberries, but that’s only because it’s next to impossible to find raspberries where I live.
  • Fresh Melons and Mangoes. A no-brainer. Sweet, smooth, and perfect cold on warm mornings.
  • Smoothies. Truth is, I was wary of the Smoothie Breakfast- I’m the type that likes to bite into her breakfast. Then I made Simply Recipe’s Berry Banana Smoothie, and it. is. wonderful. Really wakes me up- like a shot of sunshine when it’s still dark out. If you’re open to tofu (the silken type) in your smoothie, check out this goodie as well. Yum.

What are your healthy breakfast choices?

When Steak Means Love

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I’m not sure why, but I crave the same thing every Valentine’s Day: a good steak.

Back in College, I was a vegetarian for a few years. It wasn’t particularly difficult for me- because I was never a big meat eater. Now, of course, I embrace almost all types of meats. And although we try to keep our diet to mostly fish and chicken, there are simply times when nothing but a steak will do.

I know there are tons of methods out there on cooking the “perfect steak”. Today I’m sharing our method with you. I learned this from my husband- and let me tell you, he knows his steaks.

Our Way to Perfect Steak

First, and most important- chill the steaks. Sometimes, on particularly hot Summer days, we even freeze them, but a good chill is really what you need.

Brush your skillet / grill / grill pan with a very thin coating of extra virgin olive oil. Heat over high heat. You want to get it very, very hot. Smokin’! This will help keep your steaks from sticking.

Put steaks in hot pan / on grill. Don’t touch or move them. Wait until teeny tiny drops of blood start showing on the surface. As you wait, start counting… depending on the thickness of your steaks, you want to know how long this takes.

Immediately turn steaks over. Again, do NOT move them. Count up to the same amount of time it took for the blood to show on the first side.

Remove from heat. Let sit for ten minutes, then season well with kosher or sea salt and/or fresh cracked black pepper, if that’s your thing.

* If you want fancy grill marks on your steak, you’re allowed to pick it up after a minute or so, and rotate slightly.

Spice Fest: Dal Aloo!

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Indian food is not something we have on a daily basis- something I wonder about every time we do have an Indian dish, because seriously? The cuisine is awesome. Some of my favorite vegetarian options are Indian, and when you combine just the right amount of spice and cool and perfectly cooked Basmati rice- it’s almost unimaginably good.

Case in point: for dinner last night was Dal Aloo, which is basically a lentil and potato curry- but tastes like so much more. Make this today, and you’ll agree:

Dal Aloo

3 large potatoes
1 cup dal (lentils) – I used yellow
coconut oil (may substitute with vegetable oil)
4 small yellow onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup coconut milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala spice powder
salt for seasoning

Combine dal (lentils) and potatoes with enough water to cover, and boil until cooked.

In a medium to large saucepan, saute onions and garlic in coconut or vegetable oil. Add cup of coconut milk, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce flame to low, and add spices (coriander, chili powder, turmeric, Garam Masala). Mix it up, stirring continuously.

Add potatoes and lentils to the saucepan, as well as some water (around 1/4 cup). Simmer, and adjust seasoning.

Serve with a good amount of fluffy Basmati rice- or some flatbreads.

And I know how imprecise the recipe seems, but that’s the beauty of Indian cooking, I think. It’s definitely not a “set it and forget it” thing- with Indian food, you want to be standing over the stove, tasting here, tasting there, adding this and adding that.

Cherry Strawberry Milkshake

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I’m a sucker for Valentine’s Day. Yes, I buy into all the commercialism, the heart-shaped chocolate boxes, the teddies with t-shirts that say “I Luuuuv You”, the flowers. That said, my husband and I make it a point every year to spend Valentine’s Day at home. For me, there’s nothing less romantic than being stuck in two hours of traffic while trying to get to a fancy restaurant.

This means, of course, that we prepare our Valentine’s Day lunch and dinner at home- and let me tell you, when I’m doing the preparing, everything is pink. Pink napkins, pink lemonade, pink frosted cupcakes- and this, which I love to serve in the afternoon as part of our pinkstravaganza.

I use maraschino cherries, because I like them, but feel free to use fresh cherries. The same goes for frozen strawberries- use fresh if you have them.

Cherry Strawberry Milkshake

8 maraschino cherries
8 frozen strawberries
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
3/4 cup cold milk
1/4 cup strawberry syrup (I use Hershey’s)

Put everything in a blender. Blend until nice and thick and oh so pink.
Serve in 2 tall glasses.

Pomegranate Martinis

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Because my last post was mostly for the boys (it’s just something about guys and wings, no?), today I want to share a recipe for the girls. This martini, which gets its pink from pomegranate juice, is something my husband and his buddies wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. It’s just too… pink.

To that, I say: more for me!

Seriously, I’ve posted before about my love for martinis, and this one must be my favorite kind right now. It’s sweet but not overly so, with a hint of orange from the Cointreau, and that unmistakable pomegranate flavor that’s just bursting with goodness.

It’s perfect for your next girls night in, or for the ladies on Superbowl Sunday.

Pomegranate Martinis
Makes 3 servings

3 oz good vodka (I’m partial to Ketel One, but use whatever floats your boat- or whatever’s in your bar!)
1.5 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
9 oz pomegranate juice
Fresh lemon, optional

Combine vodka, Cointreau and pomegranate juice in a cocktail shaker. Add about a half cup of ice chips. Shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. A squeeze of lemon is optional.

Baked Wings

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With Superbowl Sunday coming up, it’s the perfect time to show you one of my favorite recipes. This is the one I pull out when my husband’s friends are coming over. Because they’re chicken wings, they’re tasty tasty tasty- and because they’re baked, not fried, you don’t have to feel so bad about polishing off so many of them.

You’ll want to serve these with a bowl or two of some good blue cheese or ranch dressing- preferably homemade, but the stuff from the bottle is just fine. I’ve served these with fat-free ranch dressing, and no one was the wiser. Including the husband, who is decidedly anti-anything fat-free.

For these, I use our homemade hot sauce, but feel free to use Frank’s Red Hot or something similar. Like Sriracha. These are awesome with Sriracha.

Baked Wings

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
chicken wings- around 2 dozen
1/2 cup melted salted butter
hot sauce (1/2 cup if using something like Frank’s Red Hot, or around 5 tablespoons Sriracha or Tabasco)

Line a cookie sheet with foil, and spray with some Pam or Crisco spray. In a large freezer bag, combine flour, cayenne, garlic powder and salt. Mix well. Add the chicken wings, which you’ve patted dry, seal, and shake until well coated.

Transfer wings to foil-lined sheet, and (this is important!) refrigerate at least an hour.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400F. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce.

One by one, dip the wings into the butter/hot sauce mixture, and return to the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, turn over and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.

Hot Greek Meatballs & Cool Tzatziki

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I’m a huge fan of Tzatziki, a yogurt-cucumber-garlic sauce that somehow manages to taste creamy and rich and light all at the same time. A Tzatziki sauce can make or break a gyros sandwich, and when paired with a couple of skewers of homemade meatballs, is one of my favorite dishes ever.

Making the Tzatziki

I like to make the Tzatziki before the meatballs, giving it time to chill a bit in the fridge. You’ll need:

2 cups plain yogurt (the full fat stuff, and preferably Greek)
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, crushed finely
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 whole cucumbers, peeled, seeded and grated (large)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well. Separately, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt over the grated cucumber, and let it drain for around 20 minutes. You want to get rid of as much excess water as you can, so you don’t end up with watery Tzatziki. Add grated cucumber to yogurt mixture, add pepper, and combine. Cover and chill in the fridge at least an hour. Drizzle with olive oil right before serving.

Making Greek Meatballs

2 slices bread (white, whole wheat… whatever floats your boat)
1 cup milk
2 lbs. lean ground beef (or you can do 1 lb. lean and 1 lb. regular if you want more fat)
1 onion, minced fine
4 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
2 teaspoons white or red wine vinegar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
all-purpose flour, to roll the meatballs in
extra virgin olive oil, for frying

Dunk bread slices in milk to absorb the liquid. Mash well.

In a large bowl, combine mashed milky bread with beef, onion, garlic, mint, vinegar, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Do not overmix, you want to be as gentle as possible or you’ll end up with tough and dry meatballs.

Gently form into small (1 1/2-inch) meatballs, roll lightly in flour, and fry in hot olive oil.

You can spear these on skewers, or simply piled on a pretty plate, with a bowl of chilled Tzatziki on the side. Delicious!

Elevating the Ordinary: Mascarpone Cupcakes

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Here’s something I can never seem to tire of: cupcakes. You probably already have favorite chocolate cupcake and yellow cupcake recipes (if not, don’t worry- I’ll share my recipe for those soon enough!), and today I want to share with you another one that will definitely go on your list of favorites. That is, if you like moist, creamy cupcakes.

And you do, don’t you?

But wait, before you begin reading the recipe below, I must warn you: it includes a box of white cake mix.

Ah, so that’s why I titled this “Elevating the Ordinary”! Let me tell you, though, that there isn’t anything ordinary about these cupcakes.

The secret of these cupcakes is that they’re made with mascarpone- a creamy, delicious Italian cheese that is simply like no other. The stuff is not cheap, certainly, but that’s another reason why these cupcakes taste so good: they’re decadent. You can, of course, try substituting regular cream cheese (Philly or otherwise), which should work nicely, but if you can, please, please try these with mascarpone. They’re from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis, but while the lovely Giada makes them in mini sizes, I like to use my standard sized cupcake pan for these.

Mascarpone Cupcakes

8 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I like to use Sunflower or Safflower. The more flavorless, the better!)
1 box white cake mix
1 cup water

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Combine mascarpone, egg whites and oil in a large bowl. Beat with a stand or hand mixer until combined and creamy. Add white cake mix and water all at once, and mix on LOW speed until smooth, until incorporated- but don’t overmix.

Fill cupcake pan 2/3rds full, and bake around 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frost with American Buttercream or Italian Meringue Buttercream and top with your favorite sprinkles- or, as in the mouthwatering photo above, with little curls of white and dark chocolate.