culinary flights of fancy

Home Cooking Adventures in Berkeley Heights

Tag Archives: Slow food


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Slowly Scrambled Eggs with Spring Onions and Parmesan Reggiano over Wilted Spinach

Creamy scrambled eggs over wilted greens is a quick and easy way to have a meal that tastes great and is easy on the budget.

Creamy scrambled eggs over wilted greens is a quick and easy way to have a meal that tastes great and is easy on the budget.

People often ask me what we normally have for dinner.  We do eat some special meals at home as I experiment around in the kitchen in order to write this column, etc.  However, usually a day to day meal for us really is something simple.  Vegetables, salads, beans, lentils, roasted chicken, and simple egg dishes are all pretty common dinner components during the week.  I love making eggs and breakfast dishes in general for dinner.  It’s usually rather quick from a time perspective and if you purchase good quality eggs from the farmer’s market or the grocery store, they are also quite tasty.  Eggs are also one of the few foods that contain a complete protein.  As an extra bonus, even if you purchase pricier eggs at the farmer’s market, they are still one of the most economical sources of protein available given a dozen eggs will likely yield at least two meals for most and, even if your family is larger and a dozen only works for one meal, $6-$7 for protein is still less than almost any other meal you can make.  Further, there are literally tons of different things you can do with them.

I make eggs for dinner in a number of different ways.  Usually I will fry or poach them.  However, every once in a while, I will slowly cook the eggs, scrambling them as they slowly simmer until they are just a little underdone and still creamy.  Sometimes I leave them as is with just a touch of salt while other times I will add in cheese and other vegetables.  In this case, I added a bit of spring onion at the end of cooking and grated just a touch of parmesan reggiano over the top to finish.  I spooned the eggs over freshly wilted spinach from the farm.  If you wish, you could spoon the eggs and spinach over toasted or grilled bread.  We enjoyed this simple dinner just as pictured.  Recipe follows after the jump… Continue reading →


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Pearl Barley Risotto with Dandelion Greens and Farm Fresh Egg Yolk

PearlBarleyRisotto.2

Most people think of barley as something that is added to soups and stews during winter. Further, most people neither think of barley as a main ingredient nor have they ever tried it as such. Pearl barley, specifically, is considered a whole grain and has wonderful nutritional benefits. The meal which includes whole grains, greens, and protein is satisfying in its own right or can be served as a first or second course. When I made it, I served a salad to start and used this dish as the main course.

This is a great anytime meal. By that, I mean you can make this year round, using whatever fresh greens you have on hand. I received some local dandelion greens and paired them with the earthy, almost sweet taste of the pearl barley. The bitterness of the greens is tempered a bit by the creaminess of both the egg yolk and the natural creaminess you achieve by cooking grains in the risotto style. Risotto is not difficult at all but it is time intensive. It requires a lot of attention as frequent stirring is a must. It also takes about 45 minutes to an hour to make. So, this is a slow cooking meal made with care. If you’ve never tried pearl barley but you enjoy risotto, this is a great entry point for you. If you’ve tried pearly barley and enjoy both the taste and the health benefits, this is a great little recipe to add to your barley repertoire.

Notes: You MUST use fresh eggs. Since the egg yolks are raw as you add them to the dish, freshness is absolutely imperative. If you don’t remember when you purchased your eggs or if the date on the eggs has passed, do not use them in this recipe. It would be better to skip the eggs completely than to use eggs that are not fresh.

Also, cooking with alcohol can be dangerous as it’s flammable. By turning off the heat and then adding the Cognac to the pan, the chances of a flare up are mitigated. However, the chance still remains even if you use this method so it’s important to be careful and aware of what you are doing and how you are doing it when cooking with alcohol. If you are unsure or uneasy about using it, just skip it completely. Better to err on the side of safety.  Recipe follows after the jump! Continue reading →