Cleaning Out the Fridge Quiche

The refrigerator is a wonderful invention. It allows us to keep a supply of fresh food at the ready. It provides a safe haven for the treasures we find at the store, keeping them safe until we are ready to turn them into something wonderful. I confess that sometimes I buy a little more than I can chew and open the refrigerator to find an array of food that has begun to lose its luster.

What’s Mama D to do? I don’t have the heart or the budget to throw it all away, and it is still quite usable. The time has come to combine things into a delicious meal and quiche is a perfect solution. Flaky pie crust and creamy custard are the blank canvas that will hold the vegetables and meats that the fridge has to offer.

This adventure included some crimini mushrooms and asparagus along with some thyme and onion. They were a bit past their prime, but perfect for this quiche.

DIGITAL CAMERAMy protein of choice was peppered bacon.  I found three lonely slices that I chopped up and browned on the stove.

The veggies were chopped and cooked in the same pan (minus the drippings, but with the yummy brown bits) to give them a little extra love before they jumped into my “not home-made” crust. Yes, the crust came out of the fridge, too. Would homemade pastry make this dish better? Maybe, but I had a box of the pre-made variety and it needed to be used,too.

Whatever pastry crust you use always “blind bake” it before you add the fillings. Once the dough has been fit into your vessel of choice, line it with some parchment paper and fill it with dried beans. Bake it in the oven until it is nice and golden. A clear glass pan allows you to check the bottom as well. Remove the beans and paper and add your fillings. No soggy bottom crust here.I topped the sautéed goodies with some grated Swiss cheese. Any cheese will work here. Use what you love or what you have on hand. Only use about a cup. The custard is rich enough and you want the veggies to be the star here.

DIGITAL CAMERAEggs, cream, and milk create a luscious custard that only requires a little salt and coarse ground pepper. I’m not a fan of nutmeg, a traditional ingredient here, but add some if it floats your boat. In fact you can add any herb, spice, etc. It’s your quiche after all.

When you are ready to add the custard to the quiche, put it on a rimmed baking sheet. This too, is a required step. The pie will be very full and eggs being eggs, it will grow before it sets. A baking sheet is much easier to clean than an oven. I speak from experience.

DIGITAL CAMERAThe quiche needs to bake for 30 – 40 minutes then it needs to set for at least 20 minutes more. Add the blind baking step and you are approaching the 2 hour mark on prep time. If you like a late supper (and this is the perfect dish for that) make it part of your weeknight wonderland. I think it’s a delightful Sunday night supper that puts a delicious topper on the weekend.

DIGITAL CAMERA

Cleaning Out the Fridge Quiche
Print Recipe
This is my version of quiche. Feel free to use whatever fillings you want.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Cleaning Out the Fridge Quiche
Print Recipe
This is my version of quiche. Feel free to use whatever fillings you want.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
Blind Bake the Crust
  1. Fit the pie crust into a pie or quiche pan. Use a fork to poke small holes all over the crust. Place a sheet of parchment paper into the crust (crumple it a bit to allow it to fit better). Pour dried beans onto the parchment paper. A pound of dried beans will fill a 9 inch pie plate nicely.
  1. Bake the crust in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes. The crust should be light golden all over. Do not rush this step; the non-sogginess of the crust depends on it. Remove the crust from the oven. Carefully remove the parchment paper and beans (these will become your official "blind baking" beans). Set the crust aside.
Filling
  1. Chop the bacon into thin pieces and cook in a medium fry pan over medium high heat. The bacon should be crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Remove the drippings from the pan but leave the brown bits of deliciousness.
  2. Add the onions to the fry pan and cook for 4 minutes or so until they begin to soften.
  3. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook another 5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the asparagus and cook for a few more minutes until the asparagus is tender crisp.
  4. Add the reserved bacon bits back to the pan along with the thyme leaves and cook for 2 - 3 minutes more.
  5. Pour the vegetable/bacon filling into the pie crust. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
  6. Beat the eggs until the are very thick. Add the cream and milk and beat with a whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add salt and pepper and any other spices or herbs you like.
  7. Place the filled pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour the custard into the crust stopping when it is filled to the top. You may have a little custard left, but not much.
  8. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes. The filling should be puffed and golden and a knife should come out clean when poked in the center.
  9. Remove the quiche from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

This is far from the traditional preparation for a quiche. It doesn’t however, make it any less delicious. This is a versatile recipe that can be adapted any number of ways. Have some fun with it and come up with your own fridge cleaning masterpiece.

 

Weeknight Wonderland- Orange Sesame Chicken Tenders

Some weeknights feel like dinner can’t get on the table fast enough. Other nights, a little delay of reinforcement can be a good thing, as long as it doesn’t take too long. It doesn’t matter which you choose, as long as you can get some of the prep done ahead of time. That’s where marinating comes in.

Marinades don’t always mean that something is going on the grill, in fact, this chicken bakes in the oven after an overnight soak in a citrusy and spicy marinade. It doesn’t go in the oven naked either. It is generously coated in crunchy toasted panko bread crumbs and sesame seeds. Sesame oil, sriracha, and soy sauce give this marinade a distinctly Asian flavor. Fresh orange juice and zest along with orange marmalade give it a citrus zing. Garlic makes it yummy and a little chicken stock helps you not miss the oil.

DIGITAL CAMERA

The recipe makes a lot of marinade, but it is going to do double duty, marinating the chicken and creating a wonderful glaze for the finished tenders. The do-ahead/time-saving feature here is that you can marinate the chicken for 24 hours. Make the whole batch of marinade and pour half of it over the chicken. It can relax in the fridge overnight along with the reserved marinade (in a separate covered container, of course). The longer marinating time lets the flavors really permeate the chicken.

About 30 minutes before show time, remove the tenders from their marinade and let them drain on a rack. Lightly toast the panko crumbs and sesame seeds in a dry pan then pour them in a shallow bowl. Clean and dry the rack and place it in a foil lined baking sheet. spray it lightly with cooking spray. Coat each tender with the crumb mixture and place on  the rack.

DIGITAL CAMERA

These will take about 20 minutes or less in the oven. While they bake, you can reduce the reserved marinade. This will take about the same amount of time that the tenders do. Isn’t that convenient?

DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Sesame Orange Chicken Tenders
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Sesame Orange Chicken Tenders
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Combine the first six ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to mix things up completely.
  2. Put the chicken tenders into a zip-top bag. Add half of the marinade mixture and seal the bag. Put the chicken and the jar with the remaining marinade in the refrigerator. Allow the chicken to marinate for up to 24 hours.
  3. When you are ready to prepare the chicken, remove the tenders from the marinade and allow to drain briefly on a wire rack. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  4. In a small dry fry pan over medium heat toast the panko and sesame seeds tossing often until the crumbs are light golden and the sesame seeds begin to become fragrant. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl and allow to cool slightly.
  5. Roll the tenders in the crumb mixture pressing the crumbs in to create a nice thick coat.
  6. Wash and dry the rack you drained the chicken on and put it on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Spray it all lightly with the cooking spray.
  7. Place the coated tenders on the rack leaving plenty of space in between. Bake for 15- 20 minutes. The chicken should be golden brown and feel firm. While the chicken bakes, cook the remaining marinade.
  8. In a small fry pan, heat the remaining marinade over medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to simmer,thicken and reduce for about 15 - 20 minutes. If the glaze seems too thick add a little more stock. Continue to cook as necessary until the glaze is the consistency you like.
  9. Remove the tenders from the oven when they are ready . Transfer to serving or individual plates and drizzle with the glaze. Serve with sides of your choice.
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

DIGITAL CAMERA

Choose sides that are quick as well. A precooked rice pouch that you can add your own special touches to and a vegetable that stir fries quickly keep time within the 30 minute range. Another time saver is to have ingredients do double ( and even triple) duty. I sliced the whole bunch of green onions; the tops went in the rice, and the bottoms joined the broccolini. The carton of stock just stayed on the counter so I could add it to the veggies and the glaze as needed. It also served as the cooking liquid for my rice.

I opted for home cooked brown rice which added an extra 15 minutes or so to my prep time but it was the passive kind; the stove did the work. A little sesame oil and chicken stock perked up the flavor of the rice. I stir fried the broccolini with a little garlic and ginger that played very nicely  with the onions. Start to finish it took less than 15 minutes.

The combination of flavors and textures was amazing. The best part is that it was super easy and with a few do-ahead steps, quick to fix. It was a satisfying dinner that will appear again in Mama D’s Kitchen. Give it a try in your kitchen.

 

 

Weeknight Wonderland – a Meatless Minestrone for Mondays and Beyond

Even though our nest is now empty, sitting down at the end of a day with good food,  good wine and good company is the best. I’ve shared my crazy split shift life before and how it impacts everything, even cooking. Just as I’ve learned to create in a small kitchen, I am learning to create dinner in stages, and weekends are my favorite secret weapon. A little time spent cooking ahead on the weekend eases the time crunch Monday through Friday.

This soup was a Meatless Monday dinner, but it got its start on Sunday. That’s when I thawed out some of my homemade vegetable stock. I heated my trusty soup pot and used  it to sweat onions and carrots in a little olive oil.DIGITAL CAMERASome Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, lots of garlic and a couple of bay leaves livened things up.DIGITAL CAMERAI added the thawed stock along with a can of fire roasted tomatoes and let everything get happy for twenty minutes or so.DIGITAL CAMERAOnce it cooled a bit, I stored it in the refrigerator until Monday night when I got home from work, An extra bonus here, the flavors had plenty of time to get well acquainted with each other at their sleepover in the fridge.

The vegetable medley that I chose included zucchini, green beans, and artichoke hearts. I decided to give the squash and hearts a little extra color so I lightly browned them. I liked the color it added and there was a richer depth of flavor that the quick saute imparted. I actually did this during my mid-day break so that they would be ready when I got home. The other late arrivals were a can of chickpeas and a little orzo pasta.DIGITAL CAMERAThe final cooking was easy peasy. Once the stock base came back to a simmer, I added the beans and pasta, followed shortly by the green beans, then the zucchini and artichokes. The whole process took about 20 minutes or so. I toasted slices of multigrain French bread and topped them with a blend of Italian cheeses. They made a lovely topping  for the soup.DIGITAL CAMERA

The short cooking time of the veggies kept them nice and crisp. I opted to cook the pasta directly in the soup. It added just the right amount of pasta to the soup. DIGITAL CAMERAIf you are going to make this farther ahead or plan on reheating it the next day, you may want to cook the pasta al dente in water, drain it and refrigerate it to add as the soup heats.  Pasta has a strong inclination to soak up as much liquid as it can hold, which is an amazingly large amount. What was soup the first time around becomes a much more pasta-centric dish after a day or two. I’m a “cook the pasta separately” kind of gal, but once in a while, I like to eat soup with a fork, but that’s me.

 

Meatless Minestrone for Mondays and Beyond
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Meatless Minestrone for Mondays and Beyond
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions and carrots and a pinch of salt. Cook for several minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
  2. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and the bay leaves to the pot and cook another minute or two, stirring frequently.
  3. Pour in the can of tomatoes, juice and all and the vegetable stock. Bring up to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. At this point you can cool the stock and refrigerate until the next day. You can also complete the recipe at this time if you want.
  4. Coat a non-stick pan with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the artichoke hearts and cook for 5 - 6 minutes or so turning once until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
  5. Repeat the above process with the zucchini slices.
  6. When you are ready to complete cooking the soup, (re)heat the stock to a simmer. Add the chickpeas ans pasta and cook for 5 minutes, stirring it once or twice.
  7. Add the green beans and cook for 4 minutes or until they are the amount of tender crisp you like.
  8. Add the browned artichokes and zucchini and simmer everything gently until it is all heated through. This should only take a couple of minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  9. Ladle into four soup bowls and top each with two of the toasted bead slices (recipe follows) and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cheese Toasts
  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat the bread slices on both sides with olive oil cooking spray and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Toast for 8 minutes, turning once. Top with the cheese and return to the oven set on broil and cook until the cheese is melted and slightly brown.
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

By now you should know that this recipe is just a guideline. Change up the beans, the pasta, and the vegetables too, for that matter. If you have the time, the whole soup can be made in one day…just continue the cooking steps once the stock is done. Monday will be here before you know it (damn it), so give this a try. Hey, live on the edge and make it on Tuesday or Thursday.

 

In Search of Inspiration and Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

All of us that love to cook find inspiration in many places. The most exciting inspiration is the kind that just pops into your head. You see a beautiful vegetable or a marvelous piece of meat and immediately begin to create a recipe around it. You rush home and begin to cook virtually by the seat of your pants. Most of the time it pays off, but once in a while it doesn’t. So you go back to the drawing board, changing an ingredient or adding another until you have the perfect dish. The result is something that you can call all your own.

There are many other sources for cooking inspiration. It could be one of the myriad cooking shows, a treasured cook book or a magazine featuring recipes of the season. While the idea may not be original, it is still a source of inspiration. When I see a recipe in one of these places, my first thought is how can I make it my own. I may occasionally make it as written, but more often I’ll substitute an ingredient or add something to the mix. The process is not too different from that of creating an original recipe, and the result is something that I can call my own.

Spaghetti-Squash-Pie-58829This recipe came to be in the latter way. I saw a recipe for Spaghetti Squash Lasagna in a Kraft Foods magazine. Ironically, when I spaghetti squash lasagnasearched for the recipe online to provide the above link, I found many recipes for the same dish. The variations were amazing. In the shell, out of the shell…who knew that so many great minds could think in such a similar manner. In the world of online recipes that is vast beyond ones imagination, finding a dish similar to your creation is pretty easy. The good news is there’s room for everyone’s ideas; the more the merrier I always say. So I’ll share my take on the recipe and you can do with it whatever strikes your fancy.

I liked the idea of cooking the filling right in the squash shell. It made for an interesting presentation. I found a smallish squash that once cut, seeded, and baked was the perfect size for two generous servings. DIGITAL CAMERA

I made the ricotta filling much like I would for a traditional lasagna, that is, I added spinach, garlic, and a little Pecorino Romano cheese along with an egg. The sauce started with sweet turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed. I added plenty of onions and garlic, of course before I added about a cup of pasta sauce, remnants of a previous adventure, that I found in the freezer.DIGITAL CAMERAI used a fork to loosen the squash strands. I thought this would allow the flavors to get better acquainted. I layered the ricotta, sauce, and Romano cheese before topping it all with a good handful of grated Italian cheese blend.DIGITAL CAMERA

It baked in the oven for about 30 minutes and spent a few minutes under the broiler. It came out crowned with a golden brown cheese crust, the bubbly filling peeking from beneath it.DIGITAL CAMERAIt tasted wonderful and I have to say we didn’t miss the pasta. I wanted this to be on the healthy side so I used part skim ricotta, minimal oil, and turkey sausage to cut some fat and calories. Use whatever you like. This would be great with ground beef, pork or even meatless. Use this as the source for your own inspiration and join the ranks of inspired cooks.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cut squash in half and the remove seeds. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Spray the cut sides of the squash as well and place cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. The shell should give slightly when pressed with a finger. Turn right-side up and allow to cool a bit.
  2. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a medium fry pan. Add the onion and cook for 1 -2 minutes. Crumble the sausage into the pan and add the garlic. Cook 5 - 7 minutes until the sausage is cooked, stirring often.
  3. Add the tomato paste and raise the heat to medium high. Stir to coat the sausage mixture. Cook for 3 minutes adding chicken broth as needed to prevent scorching.
  4. Add the marinara sauce to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat
  5. In a small pan heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Add the spinach and Italian herb blend. Cook stirring frequently until the spinach is wilted. This should take 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  6. Combine the ricotta, egg, garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons of the Romano cheese in a small bowl. Stir in the cooled spinach.
To Assemble
  1. Use a fork to loosen the squash threads slightly. Divide the ricotta mixture between the two squash halves. Spoon the sausage mixture on top of the ricotta. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of Romano Cheese. Top each half with the Italian cheese blend.
  2. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. If you prepared and assembled ahead of time increase the cooking time to 30 minutes or so. The mixture should be bubbling slightly.
  3. Turn oven to broil and cook until the cheese is light golden, about 2 -3 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Thoughts of Spring and Lemony Asparagus, Chicken, and Penne

The Midwest has seasons. Four very distinct ones to be exact. Here changes aren’t subtle, they are sudden and intense. Humidity shows up one day unannounced and it’s summer. The leaves change color seemingly overnight and it’s fall. The first frost comes out of nowhere and winter is upon us, Then one day you wake up to puddles where piles of snow used to be and it’s spring.

The Vernal Equinox is a few days away, but here, in my part of the Midwest, spring arrived last week. A week that started with down coats and scarves, ended with light sweaters. Early in the week outdoor activities involved scraping ice off windshields and brisk walks to get out of the cold. Was that Monday? By week’s end there were bicyclists peddling their spandex covered butts down the road. People were outside walking in shirtsleeves and enjoying it. Children were playing outside joyously unbundled. That’s how spring starts here and after a tough winter we all revel in it.

Everyday on the bus, I ride by fields of corn-stalk stubs that are hosting nothing but the bold Canada Geese and brave Mallards. These optimistic fowl nibble at the few corn kernels missed at harvest or bob in puddles of melted snow for some forgotten morsel. There are tastier things Spring has to offer with its own menu of foods. Eating fresh and local is now a fine art. While nothing is actually sprouting in our still slightly frozen Illinois ground, foods like strawberries, beans, and peas are being sourced closer to home. As the saying could go, it’s always spring somewhere. This is true of that iconic harbinger of spring, asparagus. DIGITAL CAMERADIGITAL CAMERAI must confess that I do eat it in the non-spring months, but it alwaysDIGITAL CAMERA begins to taste wonderful as the air starts to warm up. It is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that lends itself to so many preparations. I’ve extolled its virtues here many times. Sharing adventures in grilling, roasting, and even pickling. I usually allow this magnificent spear to stand alone as the perfect side dish to enhance a meal, but sometimes, especially when it comes from far away, it is the perfect addition to a main dish. That’s how Lemony Asparagus with Chicken and Penne came to be.

DIGITAL CAMERALemon is a wonderful flavoring agent. It adds zing, acid and a fresh DIGITAL CAMERAfruity taste of sunshine to everything it touches. I carried this flavor into several levels of this dish. it started with some chicken breast bits that I let chill out with some lemon pepper seasoning. This was the salt free variety so there was no danger of the chicken “cooking” before its time. A quick saute in a large fry pan and it was ready to go. It sat on the sidelines while the vegetables took over. A good amount of red onion and slightly more than a little garlic joined in. A touch of olive oil kept everything moving and when things got a little tight some chicken broth loosened it up. Finally it was time to add the asparagus and I added a lot of it. This dish is about spring after all.DIGITAL CAMERA

My pasta of choice was a whole grain penne and I used just over a cup of dry to serve two.DIGITAL CAMERAI wanted to continue on that lemony sunshine theme, so the sauce included the zest and juice of a whole lemon. The complimenting sauce flavor came from dry vermouth though chicken broth could also fill the bill.  A generous grinding of Italian Herb Seasoning (McCormick Grinder once again), some grape tomatoes, and kalamata olives rounded things out.DIGITAL CAMERA

When it was time to serve, I added a sprinkling of feta cheese. The result was a dish that felt like spring in the Mediterranean.  Lots of fresh vegetables, a little lean protein and some whole grains to tie it together made this a poster child for the diet that bears the name. Give this one a try while asparagus is having its heyday.DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Lemony Asparagus and Chicken with Penne
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Lemony Asparagus and Chicken with Penne
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Toss the chicken with the lemon pepper seasoning. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes or so. The chicken should be light golden. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve. Leave the drippings in the pan.
  3. Add the onions to the pan and saute for 3 minutes or until the onions begin to become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
  4. While you prepare the vegetables, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the package directs. Drain and set aside.
  5. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Toss frequently to insure even cooking. Add a little chicken broth if things seem dry.
  6. Add the vermouth (or broth) and the juice of the lemon to the pan. Lower the heat slightly and allow to cook for 3 minutes or so.
  7. Add the Italian seasoning and the lemon zest, stirring to combine. Return the chicken to the pan. Toss to mix evenly.
  8. Add the olives, tomatoes, and pasta to the pan and continue to cook 3 minutes or so until everything is heated through. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
  9. Spoon the mixture into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the feta cheese and serve.
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

The weather is back in the 40’s this week. Nights are cool and mornings are chilly but, I believe we’ve made the leap and spring is not just around the corner but right next door.