Recipe: Shrimp, Potato, and Scallion Quiche

This quiche was absolutely freakin' amazing. This totally made my Sunday morning!

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1 cup of milk

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large potato, diced

1 habanero pepper, minced

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

2/3 lb of large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, diced

1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped (approximately 2/3 cup)

2/3 cup of lean ham, diced

1 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)

2 tsp Herbs de Provence

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

3 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (approximately 1 cup)

1 pre-made pie crust (suitable for 9" Pyrex pie dish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced potato, habanero pepper, and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring frequently until the potatoes soften and begin to brown. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add the ham, scallions, Herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, and fresh dill. Mix thoroughly and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Roll pie crust out into a 9" Pyrex dish that's been coated lightly with cooking spray. Add ingredients from the saute pan into the crust and spread out evenly. Cover evenly with the shredded Gruyere. Whip the milk into the eggs in a mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the crust over the other ingredients. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until the top browns and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Pad Kee Mao

Ingredients:

2/3 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2/3 lb. boneless/skinless chicken thigh, thinly sliced
1 leek, finely chopped
1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped
1 large habanero, finely chopped
3 tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup loosely packed holy basil (Thai basil is OK if you can't find holy basil)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
3 tbsp. white wine
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 package (500 g/18 oz) of wide rice noodles, cooked
2 tbsp. canola oil

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions, chilling immediately with cold water after cooking.  Heat canola oil in the wok over high heat.  Add leek, scallion, habanero, and garlic.  Cover, cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add chicken, mix vigorously.  Re-cover for about 3 minutes.  Remove cover and continue cooking until chicken is about 2/3 cooked.  Add bell pepper and holy basil.  Cover and cook for about 3 minutes more until the bell pepper is tender and the holy basil wilts.  Once chicken is fully cooked, push all ingredients to one side in the wok.  Add the beaten eggs to the other side.  Once the egg is close to set, vigorously mix all of the ingredients together.  Whisk lime juice, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy, and white wine together.  Add to the wok and mix vigorously.  Add the cooked noodles and cilantro and turn off heat.  Mix all ingredients together completely, coating noodles completely in the mixture.  Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Mu Shu Pork

Not exactly authentic, but extremely tasty... made this last night for my friend Howard and his partner... both are still raving about it today.

Ingredients:

2 1/3 lbs. of pork butt steak (pork tenderloin will also work, but the fattier butt is a better choice if you can get it)

2 tbsp. canola or other neutral oil

2 large leeks, leaves and ends removed, finely chopped

1 head of green cabbage, loosely chopped

1 1/2 cups of wild mushrooms, loosely chopped

2/3 cup low-salt soy sauce

1 cup dry vermouth

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. white pepper

2 tsp. orange zest

1 tbsp. chili pepper paste

3 tbsp. garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp. grated ginger

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tbsp. black sesame seeds

Directions:

Slice the pork butt into thin strips. Heat the canola oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the pork and saute until the pork is about half done. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper paste, orange zest, and white pepper and mix thoroughly. Add the chopped leeks and cover, reduce heat to medium, cook for about 4 - 5 minutes to sweat the leeks. Uncover, add the mushrooms, return heat to medium high, and recover. Cook another 3 - 4 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk the soy sauce, vermouth, sugar, and salt together. Uncover the wok and add the sauce. Mix thoroughly and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped cabbage and mix thoroughly. Recover, cook for an additional 5 minutes to sweat down the cabbage. Uncover, return heat to high, and cook stirring frequently until the sauce is fully reduced, about an additional 10 - 12 minutes. Then drizzle the well beaten eggs all over slowly, stirring to combine, and continue stirring until the egg is fully cooked. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over and mix to combine. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Hoisin sauce and warmed small flour tortillas can be served for wrapping on the side, but as you notice above, it's just as good served with white rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Ultimate Lasagna

This recipe is just off the frackin' chart... I made this tonight for like the 4th time, but I made some modifications that sent it into the stratosphere... total comfort food :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground sirloin

1 large eggplant

5 cups (32 oz.) of diced tomatoes

1 cup (8 oz.) of tomato paste

1 lb. baby spinach

1 large onion, diced

1 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

6 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. red chili flakes

2 tsp. ground sage

2 tsp. ground oregano

2 tsp. dried tarragon

3 tsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

1 cup chicken stock

2 lbs. part-skim ricotta cheese

2 cups romano cheese, shredded

2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 lb. dry wide lasagna pasta (1 box)

3 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices and place into a colander. Liberally salt all of the slices and cover with a plate. Let the eggplant sweat and drain overnight in the sink.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the eggplant and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in all of the other ingredients except for the pasta, meat, eggs, and cheeses and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour until the eggplant is mushy, stirring and mashing the ingredients together using a wooden spoon about every 10 minutes.

Cook the ground sirloin over medium high heat until browned. Add to the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Add the ricotta and stir vigorously until fully combined through. Add the beaten eggs and stir vigorously to combine through. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Take a large 13 x 9 baking dish and spray down with cooking spray. Place 1/3 of the sauce/meat mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 1/3 each of the parmesan and romano cheeses in an even spread. Top with 1/3 of the lasagna pasta sheets. Repeat this until you have a final layer of pasta on top. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 large servings.

Recipe: Killer Fried Rice

WARNING: there is no way I'm going to call this "authentic" - but damn is it good... and easy to cook, too! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef, pork, or chicken (your choice :))
3 eggs
5 cups of cold cooked brown rice (cook with about 1/8 less water than package recommends)
2/3 cup of diced carrots
2/3 cup of cooked English peas
1/4 cup of diced water chestnuts
2/3 cup of diced fresh pineapple
1 1/2 cup of diced scallions, green and white parts
2 tbsp. of chili garlic sauce
3 tbsp. of oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. of soy sauce
2 tbsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
3 tbsp. of canola or other neutral oil

Directions:

Cook ground meat until fully browned, removing all of the fat from the meat, set aside.

Soft scramble the three eggs and set aside.

In a large wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add all of the other ingredients except for the scallions and pineapple to the hot wok. Stir constantly for about 90 seconds. Add the ground meat and the cold cooked rice to the wok and blend all of the ingredients thoroughly. Cook, stirring like once every minute, for about 6 - 8 minutes. Add the eggs, pineapple, and scallions, blend together thoroughly, and continue cooking for another 60 seconds. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Baked Eggs Provencal

This is a very simple breakfast dish... serve with toasted sliced French bread!!! :)

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
3 tsp. of minced garlic
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 tbsp. of butter
2 tsp. Herbs de Provence
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked red pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. of grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Crack all the eggs into a separate bowl, being careful to keep them whole and not puncture the yolks. In a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat, melt the butter into the heavy cream. Pour the cream and butter mixture into the bottom of a medium gratin dish. Slowly pour the eggs into the gratin dish - they will start to cook immediately. Sprinkle the garlic, Herbs de Provence, salt, cracked red pepper, and parmesan over the eggs. Place the gratin dish into the oven and bake for about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon and Egg Salad

I make this to put on toasted bagels in the morning. It's so easy and refrigerated, it lasts about a week. It's so darn tasty!!!

Ingredients:

4 - 6 oz. of smoked salmon (I prefer smoked sockeye for this recipe)
4 hard boiled eggs
8 slices of slab bacon, cooked to crispy and crumbled
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1 cup of scallions, green and white parts, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
1 1/2 tbsp. of minced garlic
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
1/2 tsp. of black pepper
1 tsp. of lemon juice

Directions:

Dice up the smoked salmon and hard boiled eggs. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to thicken. Serve on toasted bagels or English muffins.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Recipe: The Chicken and the Egg Tacos

This is a breakfast dish I cooked up that blends a little bit of my southern roots with some West Coast Mexican flavors. In the south, chicken and egg biscuits are a common breakfast dish because both chicken and eggs are so plentiful in the south. Heck, my home state of Georgia is the largest producer of both, which should tell you something. But, I didn't feel like going through the effort of making biscuits this morning, so I added a few Mexican touches to get a completely different concoction that turned out really well.

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 large eggs
1 large green heirloom tomato (other colors are OK, I just prefer the green :))
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. of chipotle chili powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese
8 small flour tortillas (soft taco size)
2 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil
2 tbsp. of milk (I use non-fat)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Dice the heirloom tomato and red bell pepper together into a medium sized bowl. Add the scallions, garlic, cumin, paprika, chipotle chili powder, and kosher salt and mix together. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Pound the chicken breasts out between two sheets of wax paper until they are a little more than 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Put 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sautee the chicken breasts in the olive oil about 10 - 12 minutes, turning frequently, until browned and cooked completely through. Cut the cooked chicken into thin strips and set aside.

In a small skillet, put 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together with a little salt and pepper and the milk until fully beaten. Place the eggs in the skillet and cook until fully scrambled, turning and separating constantly.

Warm the tortillas either in the microwave or in the oven according to package directions. Get the salsa mixture you made earlier from the refrigerator. In each tortilla, place equal portions of the scrambled egg, sliced chicken, pepper jack cheese, and salsa. Fold and serve!

Makes 4 servings (two tacos per serving).