Curry Chutney Egg Salad

Yes, Memorial Day has passed and summer is nearly here. There should be something seasonal and vibrant in the kitchen, or something sweet and celebratory. The Messy kitchen has been a bit dull, however, as I am still, slowly but surely, adapting to a new work schedule. That’s why the thing I’m excited about right now is egg salad.

This isn’t a boring egg salad, though, but one with a bit of sweetness and spice and that exotic dustiness of curry powder. It came from an idea in a magazine clipping to stir mango chutney into mayonnaise, and then use that to bind together a simple egg salad. I was afraid a sweet, gingery mango chutney would be a bit cloying all on its own, however, so I added the curry powder, some spicy mustard and a dash of hot sauce.

I found the balance in the recipe below to be very good. It’s flavorful and interesting without totally overpowering the eggs. If you don’t like eggs, or don’t really care about them shining in your sandwich, you could kick up the seasoning to make a spicier salad. You could also add more chutney if you like its fruity sweetness, or use a different exotic condiment in its place for a different flavor.

If you follow food news at all, you probably know that eggs might be a dear commodity in the not too distant future with the, shall we say, cleaning up of thousands of chickens potentially infected with avian influenza. This might just be the right time to seek out some clean local sources of eggs, many of which should be free range or at least cage free.

You could also make a chicken or turkey salad like this one, if that’s more to your taste, although the birds themselves will be becoming a bit rarer in the supermarket as well. Of course, if you prefer a vegan version, you could probably translate this recipe quite effectively into a chickpea salad like this one. Perhaps with all the poultry uproar right now, we’d be well off to make this into a winner, winner chickpea dinner after all. Just a thought.

Curry Chutney Egg Salad

Based on a recipe in Martha Stewart Every Day Food magazine

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons mango chutney

1 tablespoon spicy mustard

½ teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon hot sauce

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

A few grinds of black pepper

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

¼ cup finely chopped celery

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped

1. In a medium-size bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chutney, mustard, curry powder, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to coat. Serve on bread as a sandwich or on crackers or crostini.

Makes 4-6 sandwich-size servings.

Other recipes like this one: Lemon-Fennel Egg Salad, Chickpea Salad, Turkey Salad with Sherry Vinegar and Smoked Paprika

Southwest Flavored Egg Bake

Are you in the mood for brunch? It seems like spring does that to us somehow. Maybe it’s the success of Easter celebrations. Who knows? But this baked egg dish is a great one for brunch, or for breakfast, or any meal, really.

This dish is quite simple, involving an easy mixture of eggs and cheese. I gave mine a boost with pickled jalapeno chiles (the original recipe called for canned green chiles, which would also be quite good.) I also added cilantro and what’s pretty much my favorite spice, smoked paprika.

 

You could change up the flavors however you’d like. I would leave in the cottage cheese and some other cheese in the same proportion as they are here, because the texture is just right. You could substitute a mixture of chili powder and cumin for the smoked paprika. You could also go to a different geographical location by swapping the cheddar for Gruyere or Parmesan, then substituting fresh herbs for the spices. You could even minimalize and make it very plain.

This delicious egg bake goes together quickly, and, while it needs a little over half an hour to bake, you could get some other tasty things together during that time if you do decide to take on brunch. Just serve it with a muffin, scone or toast if you want a quieter breakfast, or go with salad and fried potatoes on the side for lunch or supper. I was a little surprised by how easy, delicious and endlessly adaptable this dish is. I might just adopt a habit of making brunch!

Southwest Flavored Egg Bake

Adapted from Rachel Ray Every Day magazine

Feel free to substitute flavors to your heart’s desire.

5 large eggs

2 tablespoons melted butter

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup cottage cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno chiles

½ cup chopped cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or grease it with butter.

2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the eggs until well-beaten. Whisk in the butter. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, salt, and smoked paprika. Stir in the cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapenos and the cilantro. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

3. Bake at 350 F for about 35 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Makes 4 main dish servings (or 8-12 smaller bites). Leftovers warm nicely in the microwave.

Other recipes like this one: Parsnip Souffle with Gruyere, Spinach and Feta Souffle, Spinach Custard Pie

One year ago: Hazelnut Latte Muffins

Squash and Kale Frittata

 

I’m still in a rut of sorts, I guess. No post for days and days. I finally get something simple and seasonal and delicious on the table and it’s still more days and days until I can write it up. Still, for all its lateness and simplicity this frittata with butternut squash and kale is nothing to be ashamed of.

I based this on a recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine, but the original recipe had more eggs and sweet potatoes instead of squash. I pared the number of eggs to four, since I’ve had success making quick frittatas that way and I just didn’t have the energy to mess with things too much. I really think sweet potatoes and winter squash can be used almost interchangeably with some variation in cooking times and slight flavor changes. (Usually sweet potatoes are sweeter than squash in my experience.) The kale was a cinch to acquire, since there’s still some alive in my garden despite the many frosty nights.

 

After selecting my seasonal ingredients, I simply held to basic frittata theory and all was well. Once my onions, squash and kale were cooked, I poured over an egg mixture flavored with Dijon mustard. I like to partially cook the eggs in the pan, then put the pan under the broiler, but not right up to the broiler. I think I originally did this in hopes of causing less stress on my nonstick pan, but I like the way the frittata “bakes” a good distance from the broiler as well. Of course I wasn’t putting this in the oven at all until I sprinkled it with a generous portion of feta cheese.

You could really vary this simple dish many, many ways, even using leftover roasted vegetables or roasted vegetables and sausage or any kind of cooked greens. I was pleasantly surprised by the combination of flavors in this particular variation. Squash and kale, perhaps both being autumnal in nature, complement each other well. I added a chile pepper for extra punch, but you wouldn’t have to if you don’t like it. The subtle zing of the Dijon mustard is quite nice enough to enhance the dish without any added spice.

 

No, I’m not ashamed of this dish at all. For its somewhat rustic simplicity, it’s quite fabulously flavored, nourishing and satisfying. With any luck, this quick fix will get me out of the doldrums caused by workday weariness and darkening days so I can post about more good stuff more often!

Winter Squash and Kale Frittata with Feta

Based on a recipe in Vegetarian Times magazine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium chile pepper, minced
12 ounces winter squash (I used butternut), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
¾ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 large curly kale leaves
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
 
1. Heat the oil in an oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes, or until softened and beginning to brown. Add the minced chile pepper and cook about 1 minute more.

2. Add the squash, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to the onion mixture. Cook, turning occasionally until the squash is softened, but still firm enough to hold its shape, about 20-25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, combine the eggs, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, milk and Dijon mustard. Whisk together until lightly beaten and well combined. Set aside.

4. Preheat the broiler and place a rack just above the middle of the oven. (I like to heat the frittata from above, but not place the pan so close to the broiler.) Remove the thick stems from the kale and discard. Finely chop the leaves. Add to the squash mixture when the squash is done. Cook until the kale is well-wilted, about 3-5 minutes.

5. Pour the egg mixture over the squash mixture, keeping the squash mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring just a little and gently, until the egg is set around the edges of the pan. The middle should still be runny. Evenly distribute the feta cheese over the top of the frittata.

6. Place the frittata in the oven and bake (with the broiler) for 8-10 minutes until the egg is firm throughout and the frittata is lightly golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings.

 

Other recipes like this one: Potato and Bacon Frittata, Zucchini and Mint Frittata with Tomatoes on Top

One year ago: Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting, Whole Wheat Pita Bread, Cranberry Walnut Cornbread

Cherry Tomato Clafouti

 

I’d really appreciate it if you’d allow me another summer vegetable recipe. Yes, it’s October and summer is over, but I really don’t want to be the one to break that news to my cherry tomato plants. The days are still long enough and warm enough for them to ripen, and they’re continuing to produce delicious, juicy, sweet jewels.

 

I’m pretty sure I cut and pasted this recipe from the blog Baking Bites two years ago. I try not to hold it against myself that I just got around to trying it now. Don’t be scared by its weird name. A clafouti is really just a cake-y custard, or perhaps a custardy cake. Traditionally, a clafouti is a dessert (like this one with cherries), but this is a savory version, and it’s just as delicious.

 

I used a 10-inch, well-seasoned cast iron skillet for this recipe, which worked marvelously, but you could use something else of similar size. The resulting savory clafouti turned out quite a bit like a frittata, but I must share this secret: this is even easier than frittata! And frittata is really pretty darn easy! The egg and flour mixture is not only simple to mix together, but seems to be quite forgiving in performance. It puffs up in the oven, then sinks a bit when it cools, but there’s enough flour and baking powder to keep it from flopping it into a mess of weeping eggs.

 

This savory custard-cake is well flavored with plenty of fresh basil and feta cheese and generously studded with pockets of slumped cherry tomatoes. Since I was using plenty of salty feta, I kept the additional salt quantity small. I think it could have used just a smidge more salt, but I left exactly what I did in the recipe below and recommend salting to your own taste. Of course, you could use a different kind of cheese as well, such as goat cheese or cottage cheese. Then you could adjust the salt accordingly, depending on how salty (or not) your cheese is.

I knew, more or less, what to expect from this kind of batter, but I was really pleasantly surprised by how good this dish tasted. I can’t believe I waited so long to try it. Who knows how many more ripe tomatoes I’ll have this season? But a few more handfuls will be a good excuse to make this again. The weather forecast indicates, however, that there may be too few days of good tomato-ripening weather left. I better start collecting green tomato recipes!

 

Savory Cherry Tomato Clafoutis
Adapted from the blog Baking Bites

The amount of added salt in this recipe is on the low side. You could add a pinch more if you find egg dishes to be bland.

about 30 small cherry tomatoes (I used Sungold variety)

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn
1/3 cup feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet. (You could probably use a cake or pie pan instead.) Arrange the cherry tomatoes evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk together to combine well. Whisk in the eggs and milk until smooth. (There should be no lumps of flour.) Stir in the basil and feta cheese.

3. Pour the flour and egg mixture over the cherry tomatoes in the pan. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 F. Continue baking 25-30 minutes more or until lightly browned. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated for a day or two.

 

Other recipes like this one: Cherry Clafouti (sweet), Zucchini Frittata with Tomatoes on Top, Potato and Bacon Frittata