Baked Eggs with Tomatoes

So in my current quest for fast and easy dinners, I have gotten on an egg kick. Partly because I bought a lot of eggs from the local farmer and they are wonderful with dark yellow yolks that stand up high because they are so fresh. But when I make eggs for dinner, which is actually quite often, I need to add things to dress them up a bit. In looking through my fridge, I came across 6 whole formerly canned tomatoes - the other half I used for pasta two nights before and I decided to bake my eggs in a tomato nest and added the rest of the cherry tomatoes I had on hand. I made a lovely tomato sauce with garlic and onions and a little sugar. I chopped up some leftover ham and shredded up some fresh basil and parsley and added them in and sprinkled the whole thing with some Parmesan Cheese for that wonderful Umami flavor on top. Of course, you could use other vegetables too. After cooking the sauce in a small ovenproof skillet - or you can put the sauce in individual ramekins - you break whole eggs over the sauce and bake for about 10 -15 minutes. That's it! Served with buttered toast or in my case - slices of toasted baguette, it is a wonderful savory little meal. I made enough for two and this dish can easily be doubled and it would be great if you have to serve a crowd for breakfast. It is even better with fresh tomatoes and I am waiting not very patiently for tomato season.

Baked Eggs with Tomatoes

3 - 4 eggs

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion chopped

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup minced ham

1 14 oz can plum tomatoes (or in my case 1/2 can plus 8 cherry tomatoes cut up) or you could use about 6 - 8 medium fresh tomatoes cut up

1/2 teaspoon sugar (if using canned tomatoes)

salt and pepper to taste

6 basil leaves sliced into thin ribbons (chiffonade)

1 Tablespoon minced parsley

2 Tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees

In a small ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil and add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft and add in ham, cooking until just heated through. Add tomatoes and break up with the spatula. Add sugar and cook until sauce is bubbling. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed and add basil.

Push sauce aside with a spoon in 3 to 4 places in the pan to put in the egg or put 1/4 of the sauce in 4 buttered ramekins. Break eggs over sauce gently and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and parsley.

Put pan or ramekins in the oven. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes or until whites are just set. Serve with buttered toast.

Five Element Analysis

Eggs belong to the Water Element and so does ham so that element is covered. Tomatoes add the Fire Element. The Parmesan Cheese, garlic, onion, basil and parsley bring in the Metal Element. The toast being made of wheat contributes the Wood Element. The only thing missing is the Earth Element and that can be added by serving this dish with some fried potatoes or some fruit for dessert. Then you will have a balance Five Element meal.

Tortilla Egg Scramble

In my current quest for comfort food due to my writing schedule (almost done), I have been making things that are super easy and fast, which is always a good combination when I am stressed. And, from my frugal Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry, I am quite obsessed with using up leftovers as I hate to waste food. So, here's what I found: a bag of stale tortilla chips - about 2 cups worth, some leftover meatloaf, 1/2 of an onion, 1/2 of a red pepper and a bit of corn - about 1/4 cup. What to make with that? Well, with several eggs - 4 to be exact, you can make what my kids call Tortilla Eggs. 

My older son never liked eggs when he was younger and the only way he would eat them was if I put a lot of stuff in them to disguise the eggs. Actually the eggs became a binder for whatever I had on hand and could be made into a scramble or a frittata. The resulting combination of eggs and assorted meats and vegetables were dubbed "Eggs and Stuff" and became very popular in my household. Their favorite combination was whenever I added stale corn tortillas cooked in butter until browned or stale tortilla chips. Sometimes that's all I would put in but I like it even better with more stuff. As I have a great love of breakfast for dinner, it is also a wonderful way to create a meal in less than 15 - 20 minutes. This may be something you already make, but if you haven't yet, you need to try this. Just for the record, the name of this dish in Mexico is Migas.

Tortilla Egg Scramble

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups tortilla chips (or about 6 corn tortillas cut or torn into pieces)

1/2 cup of meat - ham, beef, chicken, chorizo sausage, meatloaf, taco meat - cut in small pieces

1/2 onion minced

1/2 red or green pepper or both cut in a dice

2 Tablespoons of butter (may need more if using fresh tortillas)

Optional: I used 1/4 cup corn

In a large bowl, add the eggs to the tortilla chips while you are cutting up the rest of the ingredients.

Heat butter in a frying pan and add onion and red pepper and cook until onion is wilted. (If using fresh tortillas, this is when you add more butter and cook them until lightly browned.) Add other vegetables if using and cook until onion is just beginning to brown. Pour in egg mixture and pull back sides to let more of the egg cook underneath. Let it set only slightly before turning it over and then cutting it up into large chunks with your spatula. Cook until the eggs are just past being runny or it will be overdone and put on a serving plate. Serve with salsa on the side.

Five Element Analysis

Eggs belong to the Water Element so there is plenty of that element represented in this dish. Corn tortillas add the Earth Element and so did the beef that I added in. The onions bring in the Metal Element and the red pepper and the salsa bring in the Fire Element. The only thing missing is the Wood Element and using chicken would solve that, but so would adding any green vegetable to the dish or on the side and that would make this part of a balanced Five Element meal. 

Chinese Peanut Noodle Salad

Cravings are a funny thing - when you have them, you just have to eat that food and nothing else will quite do. You can try to satisfy that craving some other way, but you somehow end up just feeling dissatisfied. Luckily, with a fully stocked cupboard and freezer, most things are possible. I've been working on the photos for my book and it has been intense and all of a sudden, I started craving Chinese Peanut Noodle Salad. Actually, I first started craving peanut butter but didn't have any celery and I didn't want any jelly. And then it came to me that I needed to make this classic Chinese Peanut Noodle Salad. Noodles or pasta of any kind are comforting to me. This was one of those dishes that I had only once in a while as a child and I just loved it then and still do now. Luckily, it is so easy to make as long as you have peanut butter on hand and I always do. I also had a leftover chicken breast in the fridge along with a red pepper and some green onions. I also had some leftover spaghetti noodles so this meal ended up taking only minutes to make and it was so delicious. 

Peanut Noodle Salad is a great pot luck dish and I often serve it for Chinese New Year, but the only caution is that you shouldn't mix in the sauce until the last minute or the noodles can go pretty soft. It's a lovely light lunch on a hot day and an amazing midnight snack. Who am I kidding? I could eat it for breakfast too! If you cook the pasta right before making it, make sure to rinse them in cold water or the salad will be a little warm and I like it a little on the cooler side. But as my noodles were cold from the fridge, I warmed them slightly by running hot water over them. In any case, if you love peanut butter, you will love this salad. Try it - I think you will be very happy with it!

Chinese Peanut Noodle Salad

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons or more Hot Water

2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar (unseasoned) - can use white wine vinegar instead

1 1/2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons sugar or honey

1/2 cup cooked chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces

1 red pepper, cut into small pieces

3 - 4 green onions (depending on size) cut into small pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks

1/2 pound Spaghetti or Linguine noodles cooked according to package directions, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

Mix hot water with sugar or honey and stir until dissolved. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Taste and add salt if necessary (depending on the brand of peanut butter) and pepper. In a large bowl, mix together noodles, chicken, green onions and red pepper. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and red chili flakes if you like it hot.

Five Element Analysis

This is actually a very balanced dish and the biggest clue is that it is colorful. The peanuts add the Earth Element. The soy sauce and sesame oil bring in the Water Element. The spaghetti noodles, chicken and vinegar come belong to the Wood Element. The red pepper and red chili flakes provide the Fire Element and the green onions add the Metal Element. This is balance in a bowl!

Chinese Chicken Soup

I've been cooking very little these last two weeks as I have been traveling, teaching and seeing clients and going out to eat. Now I'm heavily into the last part of writing the second edition of my book as the deadline for submission is fast approaching. So, I've been taking just enough time to fix something that's easy and nothing is better for me or more comforting when I am stressed than chicken soup. This soup recipe is based on a classic Chinese chicken broth made with Chinese Rice Wine, ginger, garlic along with regular and green onions. Like many Chinese soups, the noodles are cooked separately and the green vegetables - in this case Bok Choy - is stir fried before they it is all put together in the bowl. You can change the vegetables to suit what is in your fridge. It is very good with spinach, bean sprouts, Napa Cabbage and regular green cabbage too. You could egg drop if you want more protein - just beat one of two eggs in a bowl and add them in at the end - swirling the soup while you are pouring. Then let it cook for just a few minutes. You can also use rice noodles or rice instead of wheat noodles. It is seasoned with just a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil to finish and it is a wonderful bowl of savory, soothing goodness.

Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken legs and thighs, skin left on

8 cups water

1 small onion, cut into big pieces

1 - 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into pieces

8 green onions - roots cut off and white parts cut for broth, green part sliced and reserved

2 clove garlic peeled and smashed

1/2 cup Shaoshing Rice Wine

Place chicken pieces in a large pot and add water, onion, ginger, white parts of green onion, garlic and Rice Wine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Skim off foam. Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove chicken pieces from soup and cool and then take meat off the bones and cut into bite sized pieces. Strain soup and return back to the pot - keeping the soup at a simmer.

1/2 pound of Wheat Noodles or Rice Noodles

1 small head Bok Choy or 3 - 4 baby Bok Choy, end cut off and cut into about 1" pieces

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 - 3 teaspoons Tamari

1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions - usually 5 minutes for Rice Noodles, 5 - 10 minutes for Wheat Noodles. Drain and put aside.

In a small frying pan, heat oil until hot and add Bok Choy. Stir fry until wilted and add soy sauce and sesame oil.

Place noodles in bowls until half full. Add about 1/4 cup of Bok Choy. Pour in soup with chicken meat over the noodles and vegetables with a ladle. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve with Sriracha Hot Sauce or Chili Garlic Sauce on the side.

Five Element Analysis

Soup is by its very nature a Water dish and the soy sauce and sesame oil contribute a bit more. But the chicken, wheat noodles and Bok Choy bring in a lot of the Wood Element. The rice wine and the chili sauce that you add at the end add the Fire Element and the green onion tops, the garlic and ginger add some Metal Element. The long cooking onions are the only representative of the Earth Element so adding mushrooms or using regular cabbage might be good or you could serve a fruit dessert to balance out the meal.

Pork with Marsala Wine Sauce

I realized with the last few posts that I am really needing nurturing - writing is very stressful! And I have been turning to things that to me convey comfort. As I am enforcing a stay-at-home lifestyle until this book gets done, I have started to cook things again that I normally order in restaurants. One of the things I love to eat in Italian restaurants is Chicken with Marsala Wine Sauce. And I always forget how easy it is to make at home. Many things that I order are easy to make and they are a lot less expensive when you do it yourself.

However, I didn't have any the chicken and didn't want to go to the store. I did have thin, boneless pork chops in the freezer so Pork with Marsala Wine Sauce was born. I loved it! I may love it even more than with chicken and I've never been very comfortable with veal. So, this recipe is a keeper and I am sharing it with you. Marsala is a sweet wine from Italy that is a lot like Port. It is a wine that I wouldn't drink by itself as I don't really like sweet wines, but in a sauce with shallots or onions and mushrooms, it is wonderful!

The basic technique is that you season and flour the pork (or chicken) and then cook it until browned in a mixture of butter and olive oil - the oil keeps the butter from burning. Since the pork chops (or pounded chicken breasts) are so thin, it doesn't take long if the heat is high enough. Then you remove them from the pan and cook the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Then it's time for the wine and some chicken broth to add a savory note. You can thicken the sauce by adding cream or you can use cornstarch as I did as it is already so rich with butter. You can serve this dish with either noodles or rice and a green vegetable - I served it with rice and steamed haricot verts. It would be great for company as it is so fast to prepare and it has such a lovely flavor. I made a lot as my son is visiting and he was delighted with the dish - I hope you will be too.

Pork with Marsala Wine Sauce

1 1/2 pounds thin sliced pork chops (or chicken breasts sliced or pounded thin)

3 Tablespoons Butter

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

For the Sauce

1 - 2 additional Tablespoons Butter, if necessary

2 shallots or 1 onion minced

1 clove garlic minced

1 pound of Button Mushrooms washed and sliced

1/2 cup Marsala Wine

1/2 cup Chicken Broth

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch mixed with enough water to make a slurry

Mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme in a large bowl. Put in pork chops and turn chops to coat.

In a large frying pan, heat butter and olive oil until bubbling. Add in pork chops and cook until lightly browned on each side. If necessary, cook in two batches. Remove to a plate - you can keep them warm in a low temperature oven if desired..

Add additional butter if necessary to the pan and put in garlic and onions (or shallots). Cook until onion softens. Add mushrooms and cook until the juice is released and mushrooms are soft. Add in wine and cook until bubbling. Then add in chicken broth. Let simmer for a few minutes before adding in cornstarch. Cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Taste and add additional salt if necessary. Put pork chops back in pan to get covered in sauce or put them on a large serving platter and pour sauce on top.

Five Element Analysis

Pork is a Water Element food. It is joined by Marsala Wine, which is a Fire Element beverage with a touch of Earth as it is so sweet. The Earth element is further enhanced by the use of mushrooms. The Wood Element is represented by the chicken broth and flour, whereas the Metal Element is represented by the onions, garlic and thyme. Guess what? All the elements are represented and this dish has an intrinsic Five Element balance. Anything else you add - like rice, noodles and vegetables - is a bonus!

Pastitsio

I was in was in the mood for lasagna today and I didn't have any lasagna noodles - my favorite are the Barilla No Boil kind. So I decided to make the next closest thing with a Greek twist - Pastitsio because I did have macaroni. True Lasagna in the Bolognese style is made with a Bechamel Sauce not Ricotta and so is Pastitsio. The biggest difference is in the seasonings used in the sauce - the thyme and bay leaf for Bolognese Sauce is still present, but there is the addition of some cinnamon and allspice for Pastitsio. Very often the meat is different too with the Italians using beef and the Greeks using lamb, but I had ground beef in the freezer. What's great about Pastitsio is that it has that same creamy goodness as lasagna and it is a lot less work. Some restaurants I have been to that serve this dish layer the cooked macaroni (or ziti) in the pan first, then put on the meat sauce and then the Bechamel sauce. I like to mix the sauce in and then top it with the Bechamel. And don't be scared of making a Bechamel Sauce - it is the same base as if you were making gravy or macaroni and cheese - it is simply butter, flour and milk with some salt and a hint of fresh grated nutmeg. I also like to add in some vegetables like carrots and zucchini to enhance the nutritional profile of the sauce. The only cheese is used on top and I used Parmesan although it is more authentic to use the Greek Kefalotryi cheese. In any case, this dish is really easy to make and yet looks very impressive. It can be made ahead and baked when you need to serve it or it can be baked ahead and reheated.

Pastitsio

For Meat Sauce:

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 large carrot chopped fine

1 zucchini, cut in quarters, seeds removed and cut into a small dice

1 garlic clove minced

2 14 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 cup of white wine

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pot and add in onions and garlic. Cook for a few moments until you smell the garic fragrance and add in carrots and zucchini. Then cook until the onions become translucent. Add in white wine and bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in tomatoes and spices and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, make the Bechamel Sauce.

For Bechamel Sauce:

4 Tablespoons butter

4 Tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon (or more) salt

1 bay leaf

Sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg - about 1/8 teaspoon

In a large frying pan, heat butter until melted. Add flour and combine until it forms a thick paste. Cook until it becomes a bit golden and then add in the milk, salt and bay leaf. Stir with a whisk until thickened. Remove bay leaf and taste for salt adding more if necessary. Take off the heat and add nutmeg. Put aside while macaroni is being cooked.

To Make Pastitsio Casserole:

500 gram package of macaroni (or ziti)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni according to directions -usually for about 10-12 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain and pour back into empty pot. Add in pasta sauce and stir to combine. Pour into a buttered lasagna pan (or you can use a 7x11 inch baking pan with at least 2" sides) and pat down with a spoon. Pour Bechamel sauce carefully over the top and then use the back of a spoon to smooth it over the pasta covering it fully. Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Put into a hot 350 degree oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is browned and bubbling. Cool for about 10 - 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Five Element Analysis

Casseroles by their very nature are very Earthy and also tend to be rather balanced as they combine proteins, vegetables and carbohydrates in one dish. Pastitsio is given more Earth Element from the beef, the carrots and the zucchini. The Fire Element is represented by the tomato sauce and wine. The Wood Element is supported by the wheat pasta and the Metal Element shows up with the milk and spices. Only the Water Element needs a presence and that can easily be added by serving it with a glass of water! Otherwise, this is already a fairly balanced one dish meal.

Knodel - German Dumplings

In my quest to master German food, I decided to try to make Knodel. They are German bread dumplings usually served with roasted meat. I have had them at restaurants and they reminded me of American stuffing served at Thanksgiving except they are served as little balls covered in gravy and never see the inside of a turkey. I like their chewy texture and actually the most accurate description of them is that they are probably the precursor for Matzo Balls, only they are made with leftover bread instead of Matzo meal and are therefore a little denser. I made them with leftover Semmel, which are German rolls that to me seem a lot like mini baguettes and these are usually more accurately called Semmel Knodel. I used marjoram as the spice since that is the usual German choice, but I think they would be great with sage or even poultry seasoning as then they would really taste like stuffing and adding celery might be good too. Usually the Germans soften the bread with milk, but I'm not that fond of milk and decided to use broth instead for more flavor, since they were going to be simmered in water.

Like many German recipes I get from my friends - the exact amount isn't always given - instead you get comments like, well it depends on the size of the egg, or you use teaspoons and soup spoons from the drawer to measure and they are not the same as measuring spoons to me. And then there are liters and 1/2 liters and 1/4 liters that on the measuring cups I have seen in Germany have to be estimated. I'm much more used to the exactness of cup measures, I guess. Anyway, the Knodel turned out great on my very first try so I thought I would share the recipe with you. I served them with oven broiled pork chops and made a gravy from the pan drippings (2 cups chicken broth to deglaze the roasting pan. Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a frying pan, add 4 Tablespoons flour and mix into a paste - add broth and whisk until thickened over medium heat) and a sweet and sour cabbage salad. I think the Germans serve sour things with their meat to help the gallbladder digest the fat. Anyway, these Knodel are not very pretty, but they were a big hit with my son who loves stuffing at Thanksgiving with lots of gravy. So, if you like stuffing and gravy, you may want to give this recipe a try.

Knodel - German Dumplings

1 Tablespoons butter, plus 2 Tablespoons more for sautéing

1 small chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons marjoram (can also use sage or poultry seasoning)

1 teaspoon or more salt

1/2 pound of stale Baguette bread or Italian bread, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 cup chicken broth

1 egg beaten

¼ - 1/3 cup bread crumbs

Pinch of pepper

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic until they are translucent. Stir in marjoram, cook briefly and then set aside to let the mixture cool.

Place the cubed bread in a large bowl. Heat the broth to boiling and pour it over the cubed bread. Set aside for about 15 minutes. When the bread mixture is cool – mash it and then mix in the onion mixture and taste for seasoning – add more salt if necessary and add pepper. Then add in the egg. Add in ¼ cup breadcrumbs and mix well. If the mixture seems too soft to shape into a ball, add more breadcrumbs until it is a stiff dough. The mixture should be firm enough to form into 2 inch balls that hold their shape. Make all dumplings and put on a plate.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Lower the dumplings gently into the simmering water and cook for about 9 – 10 minutes.

When they are boiled, remove them and put them into pan with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and cook until they are browned. Serve with roasted meat and gravy on top.

Five Element Analysis

Well, I would never expect someone to just eat Knodel for a meal so these are definitely not balanced by themselves. But the elements in this dish are Wood for the wheat in the bread and the chicken broth. Onions, garlic and marjoram add in the Metal Element. Knodel needs a meat from another element and the pork chops I served add the Water Element and the cabbage salad added the Earth Element. Only the Fire Element needed enhancing and I served tea as the beverage along with sparkling water to gain Five Element balance with this meal.