Roasted Vegetable Frittata

They say opportunity will never come knocking at your door. I'm here to tell you- that is totally not the case. Sometimes, rare as it made be, that is exactly what happens. In my case, I was recently approached by the general manager of one of Des Moines' newest and trendiest restaurants and asked to help collaborate on a brunch menu for the new weekend brunch they were planning to add. Talk about thrilled! My brain immediately started kicking into overdrive. Ideas flooded my head, but I couldn't go with just any old brunch dish. This had to be really special, something I haven't seen in every other brunch spot in the city. I proposed a number of unique dishes, but this one was my favorite.

Many restaurants and chefs are embracing the "farm to table" ideal. Here in Des Moines that is also the case. In Iowa we have some of the most beautiful and varied produce you can find. We also have four seasons, so the availability of fresh fruits and vegetable is always changing. Farmers are going organic more and more often. There are a couple large well-known local farms that provide a good chunk of produce, especially salad greens, to some of the metro's best dining spots. Local chefs are developing relationships with local meat producers as well, which means the chef has an eye on their meat literally from birth to butcher- they can see how the animals are raised and fed, and if you think that doesn't make a difference, you need to have a side by side tasting and see for yourself. Iowa is home to several notable meat producers like Rustik Rooster Farms, owned by Carl Blake, who raises the amazing Swabian Hall hogs. Rustik Rooster has even been featured on Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods (I will spare you the details of what they were eating......). Beef and pork from the Niman Ranch make their appearances on many menus in the city.

And then........we have the market. Our farmers' market. Des Moines is home to one of the biggest and most visited and diverse farmers' markets in the country. It's even become a summer tourist destination- for real! What once was a line of stands along Court Avenue filled with your typical garden produce in downtown has grown into a huge market encompassing many blocks, several streets, sidewalk brunch in the many restaurants, live entertainment, ethnic food stands, produce of every kind imaginable, fresh flowers, baked goods, snacks, arts, crafts, jewelry, even farm fresh eggs and meats. It's crazy how much our market has grown over the years, and every year it just gets bigger and better. With the growing market, of course the variety of produce has grown and evolved. For me, this means a whole wide world of delicious things to play with.

Let's face it, I am a veggie nut. I'm definitely a meat eater, don't get me wrong, but I am perfectly happy with a few bites of steak and a whole plateful of something that grew in the soil. I'm sure I've told you that growing up my mom boiled the life out of every veggie my dad lovingly grew in their garden. Not so with me. I prefer to roast my veg. Roasting brings out the earthy flavors, creates crispy edges and caramelized goodness, retains texture and color and nutrients, and they're just so GOOD when they're roasted! Roasted veg get incorporated into a lot of dished at our house, even though they are just as amazing on their own. While we rarely have leftovers, they make great additions to salads and soups and pizzas and just about anything you can create.

Ewwwwwww !! Powdered cellulose! That's WOOD!

Today we're making a roasted veggie frittata, which, incidentally, was one of my suggested recipes for this restaurant's weekend brunch menu. It's just a fancy Italian word for a big fat omelet/quiche hybrid that you start in a skillet and bake in the oven. Mine is going to be loaded with roasted vegetables and not overloaded with cheese- just enough. Choose whatever cheese you like. I love so many cheeses it's nearly impossible to choose just one, and for this recipe I chose Jarlsberg and Asiago. Jarlsberg is one of my very favorites for cooking because it melts so perfectly and Asiago is so intense- it adds a lot of savory impact without a ton of cheese. If you can't find it, Parmesan is a great substitute. I highly recommend using FRESHLY SHREDDED Parmesan or Asiago in this dish, instead of the dry grated stuff in the plastic jar. You get a much better flavor and appearance using shredded, and for the very very best results, buy a hunk and shred it yourself right before using it. You will not regret the extra time or the extra little bit it costs to buy good cheese. The stuff in the bags and jars at the store- I know we all use it, even I do on occasion- is usually loaded with cornstarch and anti-caking agents and other fillers. It'll work, but it's not the best option. Also, I often lecture people on the butter vs. margarine debate. Please please please if you never listen to another word I say just please I beg you, use real butter. Butter melts into this lovely flavored liquid fat that's a real dairy product. It's real. Margarine melts into an amalgamation of horror that's mostly water. It will ALWAY affect the consistency of your finished dish and the fake butter flavor never is the same.

Sinful Food's amazing olive oils are key to adding flavor to this dish. In this dish, you can use the basil oil, garlic or Italian herb, whichever you like. You can buy yours HERE.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

1 small bunch asparagus

1 small to medium zucchini*

1 or 2 bell peppers- choose red, orange or a purple variety

1 lb. baby potatoes- choose a colored variety

6 cloves garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped basil

salt and pepper

10 eggs

3/4 cup half and half

1 cup shredded Jarlsberg

1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese, plus more

1/4 cup butter

Sinful Food olive oil- garlic, basil or Italian herb 

* I used baby zucchini and cut them into bite sized chunks.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the vegetables into one inch pieces. Chop the garlic. Toss together in a large bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. I tossed the red pepper, asparagus and garlic in a separate bowl because they take less time to cook. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment, spread out into a single layer and roast for 15-25 minutes until just tender and some edges are beginning to brown, adding the reserved vegetables halfway through. You can also pop under the broiler for a quick minute to get some browning if needed. Set aside.

Beat together the eggs, half and half, herbs and cheeses.  

Heat a large heavy ovenproof skillet such as cast iron over high heat until hot. Add 1/4 cup of butter and melt, swirling to cover the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the vegetables to the skillet, spreading evenly. Pour the egg mixture over and cook for about 2 minutes without stirring. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until set. Sprinkle with additional Asiago cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Talk about the perfect lunch, brunch or picnic dish- this is it! It's filled with good for you ingredients and lots of protein-rich eggs. You can make it ahead and warm it in the oven, covered tightly with foil, and it travels like a pro. The recipe is also super flexible so you can use up whatever bits and bobs of cooked veggies you have hanging out in the fridge, and you can add bacon, sausage, ham, seafood- whatever you like. Have extra taco meat? Use potatoes, bell peppers and onions and top with a little dollop of sour cream, guacamole or salsa. Go Italian with ham or sausage or ground beef, veggies and a little spoonful of marinara over each serving. Use your imagination and create the perfect brunch dish for you!
 


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Picnics and Potato Salad- American Icons

     Nothing says summer quite like a picnic. The first warm days of spring give us a chance to shake off the winter dust and get outdoors. Gather up some close friends or your family, throw together some blankets, chairs, picnic ware and FOOD.  It’s really all about the food. Picnic food can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. It’s your picnic- are you going for the casual kids-in-the-park picnic, a big family reunion potluck or a romantic lake-side meal shared on a blanket? For most people the word picnic brings back memories of family, tons of relatives, tons of food, Frisbees and lawn games, and roasting marshmallows at the end of the day.

     Where did this tradition come from? Historians trace it’s origin back to the 17^th century, where it really was not a picnic in the modern sense, but rather a bunch of aristocrats drinking wine- outside. When I hear the word picnic, I think of not only my own family’s memories, but I imagine generations of Americans packing the kids in the station wagon and heading out to the lake or park on a gorgeous sunny Saturday with their stockpile of goodies for the meal. It has become a new American tradition. The company picnic. The class reunion picnic. Memorial Day picnic. Labor Day picnic. Just because we want to picnic.

     Growing up in Iowa, for my family a picnic meant two things- cold beer, and potato salad. We very rarely strayed from that formula for perfection. My dad still has the old green picnic basket he’d won as a gift in a raffle and for years and years my mom packed that basket with plastic dishes and forks and all our favorite picnic foods. Loaded the old red cooler with ice, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Shasta sodas and we’d head to the lake. Sometimes my dad would grab a bag of charcoal, some burgers and dogs, and we would grill at the park, other times we would grab a bucket of chicken on the way. No matter what the main course was, it was never a picnic without potato salad.

     My mother was a potato salad MASTER CHEF. I would not say she was an exceptional cook when it came to most dishes, but her potato salad…….the highlight of the meal. And for as delicious as I think it is, it was a simply prepared dish, but sometimes, as they say, less IS more. Her simple toss of potatoes, eggs, mayo, pickles and mustard is one of my best food memories growing up. She never drowned it in dressing like grocery store potato salad. She would never even consider leaving out the pickles. She always finished with a big poof of paprika on the top- I don’t know why, but that was just her signature thing. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Erika’s Picnic Potato Salad

·         6-8 medium sized Russet potatoes, scrubbed

·         6 large eggs

·         ½ medium onion, chopped

·         ½ cup chopped dill pickle

·         1 cup mayonnaise

·         2-3 tb yellow mustard

·         1 tb chopped fresh dill

·         Salt, pepper, paprika

Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with cool water. Add eggs. Bring to boil over high heat until boiling, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (remove eggs after 12 minutes and set aside). Rinse potatoes with cool water until cool enough to handle. Peel and cut into chunks. Peel and chunk the hard boiled eggs. Toss potatoes, eggs, onions, pickles in large bowl. In small bowl mix remaining ingredients except paprika. Toss with potatoes to coat evenly. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and chill until completely cold. Toss again and serve.  *Note- you may need additional mayonnaise and mustard if potatoes absorb too much dressing.

     When you are raised around good, hearty food, and have a father who is the 70s version of the foodie, you can’t help but develop an interest in cooking. Dad is a cookbook collector, so therefore, I am a cookbook collector. Dad was always experimenting with cooking, especially French style recipes, so therefore, I also am always experimenting with food, especially French style recipes. Funny how that happens. It’s only natural then that I felt a need to come up with a potato salad that was still picnic-worthy, but all mine. Playing on the salad nicoise theme, and always remembering how much my mom hated it when people served “German potato salad” hot- she was born and raised in Germany, which I suppose qualifies her as an expert, when it really should be served at room temperature, I often make my French potato salad in the summer.  Cute fingerling potatoes, tender haricots verts, zingy Dijon vinaigrette, served at room temperature- and no mayo – makes this a great alternative to traditional potato salad. I will go out of my way to plan a meal around this salad if I find fingerling potatoes and haricots verts at the same time!

French Potato Salad

·         3 lbs new potatoes or fingerlings, scrubbed, unpeeled, cut in half

·         ½ lb haricots verts, trimmed

·         ½ cup finely chopped onion

·         1 tb freshly squeezed lemon juice

·         1 tb apple cider or champagne vinegar

·         1 tb Dijon mustard

·         Salt and pepper

·         ½ cup olive oil

Place potatoes in large saucepan, bring to boil over high heat, reduce and boil softly until tender. Watch carefully- they can take as little as 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water. Refill saucepan with water and bring to boil. Add haricots verts and cook for just a minute or two, immediately drain and plunge in ice bath to stop cooking. Toss with potatoes and onions in bowl.  In small bowl or jar combine dressing ingredients. Shake or whisk to combine, pour over vegetables, and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

     Working so closely with people who are very passionate about food, I wanted to throw the question out there for the world- is a picnic a picnic without potato salad? It was overwhelmingly obvious that people love their potato salad. Of all the people who responded to my question, only a couple said they did not like potato salad.  The next obvious step was to ask them what is their favorite “non-traditional” potato salad recipe?  I got some very creative responses.  German potato salad, of course, was mentioned, as was “potato” salad made with this disturbing new trend of swapping the potatoes for cauliflower. Not to trash on the cauli, I absolutely love the stuff, but let’s be honest, guys, I don’t care how you prepare it, it does not taste like potatoes. Ever. All kinds of different herbs, different dressings, even different types of potatoes appeared in the recipes my friends shared. It was hard to narrow it down to just ONE to share! In the end it came down to which one was, for me, the polar opposite of Erika’s Potato Salad, and that honor goes to-

Perri Pender’s Country Cottage Potato Salad

·         6 large unpeeled red potatoes

·         10 green onions, chopped

·         2 cups mayonnaise

·         1 24 oz carton small curd cottage cheese

·         Salt and pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two. When cool enough to handle, cut into ¼ inch thick slices; refrigerate until cold.

Spread about ½ cup of mayonnaise on the bottom and up the sides of a large salad bowl. Place half the potato slices in the bowl in a layer. Generously season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the green onions over the potatoes; layer half the cottage cheese and half the remaining mayonnaise. Repeat layers ending with mayonnaise. Spread to sides of the bowl to seal in the layers. Sprinkle black pepper on top of the salad, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Toss well before serving. 

**Recipe courtesy of Perri Pender and can be found on www.allrecipes.com.

      Now I really want to pack the picnic basket with delicious food, cold drinks, and a blanket and enjoy a day in the sunshine. Fresh air, blue Iowa skies, and…….ants. What’s a picnic without ants? 

Cheating in the kitchen- Sushi Salad

I'm officially hooked, ok? Hooked!! I knew it was going to happen. First came the California roll, then the Las Vegas roll, the nigiri, the sashimi, the tempura shrimp mango roll. I can't help it! I am in love with sushi! Even worse, I love making it!! But who has the time?

During the summer months I can literally subsist on salads. No cooking! (or very little anyway) and I am always researching things- grains, cooking methods, new ways to make old favorites, updated versions of older recipes, you name it. It was just a matter of time before I tried to figure out a way to simplify this whole sushi-rolling business and come up with a way to enjoy all those flavors on a weeknight without spending hours rolling, and rolling, and rolling. Just..... a matter..... of time.

Actually, it kind of came to me in a roundabout way. Mulling over the ingredients for sushi in my fridge, and dreading the whole rolling thing, but living too far away from a sushi place..... and cruising the internet I came across a website that had salad ideas. VINTAGE salad ideas. You know the stuff- the Jello, the mayonnaise, the peas and shredded stuff. Apparently people used to be quite fond of making rice salads much like the pasta salads I make these days.

Rice salad. Fresh vegetables. Rice..... sushi rice...... SUSHI SALAD!!!!!! It was like the clouds parted and Confucious himself spoke to me! Now this is an idea I can get behind, and talk about easy. 

Let's get started with No-Roll Sushi Salad! 

You will need:

• one recipe sushi rice (get directions HERE)
• 1 lb cooked, cleaned shrimp
• 1/4 cup carrot, diced
• 1/2 medium cucumber, seeded and cut in small chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 mango, peeled and cut in small cubes
• 1 avocado, peeled and cut in small cubes (toss with small squeeze lime juice)
• nori sheets or fresh kale
• pickled ginger (optional)
• 2-3 tb black, or toasted, sesame seeds
• soy sauce
• wasabi
• 1 cup mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip!!)
• 1-2 tb Sriracha

Make your rice- Prepare the sushi rice as directed, using rice wine vinegar and sugar. Set aside to cool while you prep the other ingredients.

Prepare the shrimp- thaw if frozen. I used frozen cooked shrimp to save on prep time but you can buy fresh and cook them, just be sure to chill them well. Rinse the shrimp and make sure they are deveined and free from shell bits. Remove tails. If you have small shrimp, leave whole. Larger shrimp need to be cut into bite size chunks. 

Prep all your vegetables- cut up mango and vegetables. If you are using kale instead of nori (and I am, I am NOT a fan of nori really), rinse the leaves well and cut into strips. If you are using nori, crumble up a sheet or two, as much as you like. You can add the nori NOW or wait until later when you serve it, so it doesn't break down and get mushy. 

Assemble the salad- In a large bowl place the sushi rice. Add all the vegetables, shrimp and sesame seed. Toss.

Make the dressing- In a small bowl combine the mayo, Sriracha, a dash of soy sauce and wasabi to taste. If using pickled ginger, finely mince it and add to dressing. Pour about half the dressing over the salad, toss again. Serve with additional dressing, wasabi, and crumbled nori sheets on the side.

It's bright, it's colorful, it's brimming with fresh sushi flavors and I didn't have to spend tedious time pressing, stacking and rolling!I love the sweet mango and the creamy avocado mixing with the crunchy celery and carrots. I needed to amp up the wasabi a bit so don't be afraid to add plenty. Now I can get my sushi fix anytime I want to just as quickly as making a tossed salad.