Weekly Dish

I love breakfast food. Unfortunately, I am not naturally much of a morning person. So, often when I want eggs and muffins, I have to have them at night, instead of in the morning. My mom used to fix omelets and blueberry muffins for dinner, and so serving traditional breakfast foods when it’s dark outside reminds me of her. She is much better at flipping omelets and getting them to look pretty than I am; my omelets always end up looking a lot like scrambled eggs with other stuff in them. So, to use up leftovers, I like to make frittatas instead. No flipping, and finishing it under the broiler gives the cheese on top a bubbly brown texture that I really like. This one, inspired by my leftover spinach stuffing from the stuffed tomatoes last week, is quick and easy. You can make a frittata with just about anything. The basic recipe is: sauté some vegetables in a heavy oven-proof skillet, top with beaten eggs and cheese, cook until the eggs begin to set around the edges, top with more cheese, and finish under the broiler. The muffins I made to go with the frittata are sweet and crumbly, as good muffins should be. I made them with sugary, crunchy Asian pears from Miller Farms at the Red Stick Market. The frittata cooks quickly, so I prepare the muffins first, and use the time while the muffins are cooking to chop the vegetables and beat the eggs for the frittata.

Pear-Streusel Muffins

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 T. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. allspice

2 large eggs

½ stick butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk

1 ½ cups chopped pear

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat together the eggs, butter, and buttermilk. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry; stir until just combined. Add the chopped pears and stir to distribute evenly. Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin.

For topping:

1 cup chopped walnuts; reserve half to sprinkle on the tops

4 T. flour

4 T. brown sugar

½ stick butter, softened

½ t. cinnamon

Mix all together with your hands until it forms a paste. Top the muffin batter with the streusel topping, and then sprinkle on the reserved walnuts. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the topping is brown and crumbly.

While the muffins are cooking, you can prep your vegetables and get everything ready for the frittata. When the muffins are done, turn the broiler on to preheat.

Spinach-Mushroom Frittata

1 clove garlic, minced

½ yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2-3 T. leftover spinach filling (optional)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped

4 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup mild grated cheese of your choice (I used Swiss)

Sauté the garlic, onion, and mushrooms over medium-high heat in an oven-proof skillet (I use a cast-iron one) until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure garlic doesn’t burn. Add the spinach filling and stir to coat the vegetables; cook another minute or two. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the spinach leaves, cooking until wilted. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, milk, and feta cheese together; pour over mushrooms and spinach. Salt and pepper well, but don’t stir. Let the eggs cook slowly until the edges begin to set, about 12-15 minutes. Grate cheese on top, and finish under the broiler; watch carefully, as it only takes a minute or two.

One of the great things about this meal is that leftovers can be enjoyed both in the morning and at night! I like to have the muffins with my afternoon coffee, as well.

One of the things that I really like about Sara Foster’s new cookbook, Fresh Everyday, is that she gives a lot of what I call template recipes, basic ways to cook, and then lots of ways to vary that basic dish. If you don’t have her cookbooks, I highly recommend them both; I have learned a lot of techniques from them. One particular section demonstrates different ways to make risotto, flavored with seasonal vegetables.

Risotto is one of my favorite things to make with leftovers anyway, and this one with tomatoes and corn suited perfectly what I had in my kitchen this week. If you’ve never made risotto before, don’t be intimidated by all the stirring and adding, stirring and adding. It does take time, but it’s definitely not an exact science, and once you’ve made it a few times, you’ll find yourself getting into the rhythm of how long it takes and how much time you have to do other things while it’s cooking. I use Fontina cheese instead of Parmesan; it makes the risotto even creamier. I also used cooked corn from our grilling night on Monday, in place of the raw kernels.

Risotto with Tomatoes and Corn

3-4 cups vegetable broth (hint: simmer water with stripped corn cobs, onion trimmings, and a lemon)
Olive oil
Butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ cups Arborio rice
Salt and pepper
½ cup dry white wine
2 large fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped
Kernels from 3 fresh corn cobs (I used the leftover corn from the grilled corn I made on Monday)
A handful of basil leaves OR a tablespoon of basil pesto

In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Sauté the onion and garlic in about 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil until soft in a very large sauté pan. Add the rice to the pan and stir constantly for a few minutes until the rice grains begin to glisten and they are all coated with the oil and butter.

Stir in the white wine until the rice absorbs it, and then begin adding broth ½ cup at a time, until the rice absorbs it too. Stir frequently; when the rice begins to sizzle and there is little liquid in the bottom of the pan, it’s time to add more. Add a little salt and pepper with each batch of liquid. The tricky part is knowing when to stop; you want the rice to be tender, but not too mushy. It usually takes me about 25 minutes of adding liquid and stirring until it’s done, but you should taste the rice to make sure before you add the vegetables. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, corn kernels, and half of the basil or the pesto (or both!). Then, stir in the Fontina until it melts. Serve topped with the extra basil. Season with Kosher salt and pepper. Serves 4 as a main dish.

–Adapted from Sara Foster’s Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster’s Market.