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Olive Oil Basted, Poached Egg Breakfast

Farm fresh eggs are one of the most beautiful things you can cook. The yolk is a bright but burnt orange color from a diet richer in nutrients then commercially kept laying hens. Our chickens get corn and grain daily and we 'treat' them daily with vegetable and fruit scraps, stale bread and crackers, leftover cooked grains like rice and quinoa, and fresh grass (seasonally obviously!!). They have a pen/paddock that they can roam in with the freedom to go back inside whenever they would like. You can see from the photo that the yolk is a much richer color then conventional eggs and typically the richer orange color is indicative of a higher omega content and higher nutrient volumes like vitamin A and beta-carotene. They have a much deeper flavor, slightly more earthy and not so bland as commercial eggs, if you can find a friend or CSA program that sells farm fresh eggs you should take advantage of it and purchase eggs from them.

Feta cheese comes from many places. In grocery stores most of the feta in the dairy section would be known as Greek feta, but French feta is also common and usually found in the specialty cheese aisle at major grocery stores. However, I find that Bulgarian feta has the nicest flavor. It is creamier then its Greek and French counterparts which can be more dry and crumbly, it has a touch - a small touch, more salt which helps to develop the flavor but makes it no way salty. Bulgarian feta is easily found in Armenian/Turkish/Lebanese food markets but you could probably also find it at a specialty cheese shop or even a market like Whole Foods. It is well worth the slightly higher price (about $1/pound more), you will use less cheese then with an inferior product which doesn't have as much flavor.

For the breakfast:
eggs (1-2 per person)
olive oil
slice of a crusty type bread like ciabatta, toasted (optional)
feta cheese
mixed fruit

1. Heat olive oil in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat - depending on size of pan you will need about 3 tablespoons (or 1 tablespoon/egg BUT don't use a pan that is too large for the number of eggs in it - a large saute pan about 8" in diameter is good for 3-5 eggs, for 1-2 eggs use one that is more like 5-6" in diameter). Meanwhile toast your bread if you are using it.
2. Crack eggs right into pan, let them cook until the whites of the eggs become solid or completely white (the eggs to the right are half-way done).
3. Tip the pan slightly to collect some olive oil in a spoon and spoon it over the eggs yolks. Do this 2-3 times for each yolk and then the eggs will be cooked with a runny yolk center. Remove from heat.
4. Spread feta over the toast if you are having toast, and then place your egg over toast; if you are not using toast, place egg on plate and crumble some feta over the top of the egg. You can drizzle some more olive oil over the top if you so desire.

ENJOY!!!

Shish Kebabs

Getting back to my Middle East roots with this one! "Shish kebab" literally means "skewered meat". This recipe makes quite a bit, so this recipe would be great for a small dinner party (say 6-9 adults) or cut it in half for a more manageable amount of food. Armenians use a lot of lamb, but if you prefer beef that would work in this recipe just as well, as would skinless chicken thighs. The kebabs are best grilled, and we use an old fashioned Webber Charcoal grill with real charcoal (not briquettes) but whatever kind of grill you have is fine or you could cook them in the oven (I would do it at 400 degrees in the oven).

5 pound lamb roast, fat and silver skin removed, cubed into approx 2" chunks
1 can tomato paste (not the 4oz can the next size up)
1 large white onion sliced
1 head of garlic, skins removed, cloves sliced
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cumin
black pepper (about 1/2 tablespoon)

1. In a large roasting pan mix the tomato paste with the lemon juice and vinegar to loosen up the tomato paste. Then add onions, garlic, and seasoning - mix again. Add meat and stir it around until it is completely covered in the marinate. Cover and let sit in ice box for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
2. Before grilling, bring meat out of ice box and let come to room temp on the counter (about 20 minutes). While the meat is warming up, work on skewering it on metal skewers (this way they won't burn on the grill). Collect up all the onions and put them in a little homemade tinfoil pan/pouch that can also go on the grill.
3. Cook to desired doneness on grill - medium rare is perfect to me but some prefer it to be more towards medium (well done is sacrilege and should never occur). The fire should be a medium-high heat, and remember to turn the skewers every 5 minutes approx so that you get some charring on each side - USE TONGS the skewers are going to be hot!! :) Leave onions in their makeshift pan on the grill for the whole time the meat is cooking. They will be good and hot and have plenty of flavor from the marinate!

Enjoy!

Fun Snack with Mini Toasts

Fun snack (or meal idea) for children (ahem or adults like me!) They are bite sized and easy to hold for kids or easy to pop in for adults!

Ingredients:
*Mini toasts
*Natural peanut butter or other all natural nut butter (I prefer Smucker's but any peanut butter whose ingredients are only 'peanuts and salt' will work)
*Banana

Christmas Eve cheese tray

Baked Camebert done with fig jam and phyllo dough (bake at 400F for 15 min, put 2-3 thin slivers of butter on top or egg wash to help it brown)
Italian Monte Veronese (mild)
Raw walnuts
Craisins
Crackers and mini toasts

This was for 5 adults

Portobello Mushroom Cap Stacks

4 portobello mushroom caps (if the stems are still present, remove), wiped clean
2 red bell peppers, sliced in half, seeds/stem removed
1/2 of a 1 lb package of spinach leaves
4 large garlic cloves, minced
4 slices smoked gouda cheese (or fontina if you prefer a milder cheese)
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil for easy cleanup.
2. Place mushrooms and pepper halves on the baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and then sprinkle some salt and pepper over them. Cook 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside, cook peppers about 10-15 minutes more or until they are soft.
3. In a saute pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low-medium heat. Add garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant then add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted, stirring often (will take about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.
4. When peppers are soft remove from oven. Make stacks out of your ingredients. Mushroom cap first, then some spinach, then lay a pepper half over the spinach with the skin side up, then put on a piece of cheese. Repeat until all mushroom caps have been covered.
5. Return to oven and cook until cheese is melted about 5-6 minutes.

ENJOY!

Salmon 'Bulgogi' with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

This was one of the top salmon recipes on Epicurios.com from Rozanne Gold in Bon Apetit June 2008. Patients are always asking what they can do with fish and so I thought this was a good recipe with an Asian (Korean really) influence to give you a little spice to your life! The bok choy could be substituted with regular cabbage, spinach or mustard greens and the shitakes with crimini (baby portobellas).

Ingredients:

2 large garlic cloves, peeled, divided

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry

1 3/4-inch cube peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce*

4 6-ounce center-cut skinless salmon fillets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large bok choy, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips (about 7 cups)

4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced

* Available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets.

Preparation

1.Preheat oven to 500°F. Blend 1 garlic clove and next 7 ingredients in mini processor. Arrange salmon in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon marinade over. Let marinate 5 minutes.

2.  Arrange fish, with some marinade still clinging, on rimmed baking sheet. Transfer any marinade in dish to small saucepan. Roast fish until just opaque in center, about 8 minutes. Bring marinade in saucepan to boil; set aside and reserve for glaze.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add bok choy and mushrooms; using garlic press, press in 1 garlic clove. Stir-fry until mushrooms are tender and bok choy is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide vegetables among plates. Top with salmon. Brush fish with glaze.

ENJOY!!