Pi day pie – a rustic quiche

I was supposed to host a brunch today for my fellow nerds who wanted to mark the best Pi Day of our lives (3/14/15 9:26:59) by eating pie together. Alas, the best laid plans were laid aside when I slipped on ice in my driveway last Sunday and fell hard and twisted my left knee. It's healing, but I couldn't possibly host anything today.

But we did have pie this morning. I decided to try to make a pie that didn't require a lot of measuring or extra fat and could be committed to memory. Here's what I came up with and it was very tasty.

If you don't have ham, use crumbled cooked bacon or sausage or sliced hot dogs. If you don't have chopped fresh kale, used thawed chopped spinach squeezed until dry. Any medium hard cheese you like will do. Chopped green onions or any color chopped bell peppers would be good, too. And if you like it spicy, use cayenne pepper instead of nutmeg. If you don't have a 7-inch spring-form pan, an 8-inch pie plate will do.


Lori K's rustic quiche for two 

 Crust
½ stick of frozen butter (2 oz)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup ice cold water

Filling
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup skim milk
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
2 slices of deli ham, chopped
½ cup chopped kale
¼ cup part-skim mozzarella

Instructions
Grate butter into mixing bowl. Add flour and salt and combine well. Add water slowly until it looks like everything is sticking together but not not sticky; you might not need the full amount of water.
Knead a little until it holds firmly together in a ball. Flatten the ball a bit, put it back into the bowl and put in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Heat the oven to 475°.

Make the filling: Whisk together the eggs, yogurt, milk and spices. Roll out the dough so that it's large enough to cover a 7-inch spring-form pan. Press it around all the bottom edge, and flatten the folds. Take off any overhanging dough (you can roll it out thinly and bake at the same time to make crackers; they may be done before the quiche is, so keep an eye on them if you do this). Sprinkle the kale, ham and cheese on top of the dough, then pour the filling over.

Put in the oven on a baking sheet and turn the heat down to 375. Cook for 20 minutes. The sides will slip down and it will look like a rustic tart. Take out of the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes.

In full cauliflower

Cauliflower is perhaps the mildest of the cole family vegetables, and that makes it a good entry vegetable if you can't seem to bring yourself to eat broccoli or despise the smell of cooked cabbage. And this soup, which my friend Bambi Nicklin featured on a Facebook posting recently, makes the nutritious vegetable even more inviting. I served it with fried calamari (recipe below the soup) for a good, gluten-free meal. If you want to stretch this out to serve four people, add some appetizers and a salad.


Bambi's Cauliflower Soup
Serves 2

Cook a cored cauliflower in broth until it's very soft. Remove from broth with a slotted spoon and blend with a little broth until smooth. Return to pot. Add 3/4 cup finely grated cheese and dried thyme and whisk to blend the melted cheese. Meanwhile, cook 1 cup peas for 2 minutes in the microwave. Whisk in about 1/3 cup sour cream and add the peas.

Lori's note: I didn't have any sour cream on hand, so I used Mexican table cream instead. It was delicious.

Crispy Calamari
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 pound small calamari
½ cup rice flour
2 teaspoons Mas Guapo or other spicy salt

Instructions
Clean calamari and cut into rings. Drain well. Mix the flour and seasoned salt together. Dredge the calamari in the flour and shake off excess. You can do this in advance.

When ready to cook, bring the calamari to room temperature. Over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet, heat about ½-inch of canola oil. When hot, add rings in small batches so they aren't crowded. Cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes, then drain on paper towels. Let the oil come back up to temperature before adding more. Serve with lemon wedges or your favorite sauce.

When eggs go south - south of the border, that is

Photograph: treehugger.com

Spending my formative years among artsy people in Texas taught me appreciation for many things that were not part of my childhood, or were a part of it in a twisted way that I couldn't appreciate. For instance, my dad loved Mexican food, but what we got was tamales in a can, Hormel Chili, and El Patio frozen Mexican meals. It's a wonder I ever stepped inside a Mexican restaurant after that experience.

But step I did, at all times of the day and night. As much as I loved Tex-Mex, more authentic Mexican food from different regions was making inroads into Houston in the 1970s, and with those came places that served Mexican breakfasts. I ate it all.

I still love a good Mexican breakfast, so I keep cans of Herdez sauces in the pantry, because I am not awake enough to do any sauce from scratch before 10 a.m. When I saw a Food & Wine recipe in my email for Mexican Eggs in Purgatory, I knew I had to try it. But I also knew that I wouldn't be running to the grocery store to get a pound of tomatillos before breakfast. So again, Herdez to the rescue.

If you have access to fresh tomatillos and want to try the original recipe by Grace Parsi of Food & Wine, here's the link: Mexican Eggs in Purgatory

Lori K's Fast Mexican Eggs in Purgatory
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons crumbled bacon
1 can Herdez salsa verde
2-3 eggs
2 ounces Cotija or feta cheese, crumbled
2 green onion tops, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Warm corn tortillas for serving

Ingredients
Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat source.
In a cast iron pan or shallow flame-proof casserole, heat the oil on a stove burner set on low. Add the garlic and the bacon bits, and cook for 5 minutes. Take a paper towel, fold it in half and place it on top of the pan, holding one end. With a wooden spoon, gently press to remove extra grease. Discard.
Add the can of salsa verde to the pan, raise the heat to medium, and cook until it bubbles vigorously, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs gently, far enough apart so they don't touch one another. Add the crumbled cheese over the top of all, avoiding the yolks.
Put the pan in the oven. Set the timer for 3 minutes.
Put 6 corn tortillas in a towel or warmer, and put in the microwave. When there's a minute left on the timer, turn on the microwave for 1 minute.
When the timer goes off, check the eggs. The whites should be set but the yolks runny. If the whites aren't set, keep them under the broiler for another minute.
After you pull them out of the oven, sprinkle with the green onion slices and cilantro, if using. Serve immediately with the warm tortillas.
Good with sliced avocados and refried black beans; for a hardier meal, serve with hash browns or country fried potatoes.

Burgers with a secret inside

Hamburgers may seem a might improper to be promoting during Lent. Well, Sundays are for celebration, even during this most penitent of seasons. And if you want to celebrate with a hamburger, you might as well try these. I used local, grass-fed ground beef because I have lost all faith in meat processors' ability to keep E. coli out of their products and I think local farmers deserve our support. And I love the taste.

Lori K's fancy burgers 
Serves 4
© 2012, Lori Korleski Richardson
Ingredients
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 pound ground beef or veal
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
Mix cheese and shallots in a medium bowl. Gently mix meat, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in another bowl.
Divide veal mixture into 8 equal portions. Form 4 patties 1/8-inch thick. Place 1/4 cup cheese mixture atop each patty; form 4 more patties and top the first ones. Seal at edges to enclose cheese mixture. Grill burgers and cook about 5 minutes per side.
Serve on toasted buns or as part of a meal. We had a half-plate of salad with yellow bell peppers, avocado, grape tomatoes, pistachios and pomegranate seeds, and a scoop of mashed potatoes.

Hot breakfast to go

Sunday mornings are, shall we say, a little rushed in our household. When we just can't face a bowl of cereal, here's one option that's almost as fast.

Egg Tacos
Serves 2
From the files of Lori Korleski Richardson
Ingredients
2 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons crumbled bacon
2 ounces shredded cheese
Spray olive oil
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce (optional)

Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put a cast-iron skillet on the stove and heat on medium low.

Put the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Spread a tablespoon of crumbled bacon and an ounce of shredded cheese on each one. Put the cookie sheet in the oven.

Spray the skillet with olive oil. Crack the eggs into the skillet; after about a minute, break the membrane on the white (where it humps up) and the yolk. Season with salt and pepper. (I like sea salt and freshly ground pepper.) When nearly firm, turn and take off the heat.

The cheese should be melted on the tortillas. Remove from oven, place an egg on each one, add hot sauce if desired.

 The eggs are also good on toast; you can toast the bread in a toaster, put it on a paper towel on a plate, sprinkle on the bacon and cheese, and microwave it just until the cheese melts. Put the egg in between.

Variations
Cooked onions and mushrooms
Fried tomatoes or chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Avocado or guacamole
Diced canned Ortega peppers

A nonfat, no-salt kick for fish and other white meat

Our grill went on the fritz last month, so we've been pan-frying more than usual. But to get the taste of the grill without grilling, I had to get a little creative. Since chipotle is already made with smoked, ripe jalapeños, I hit upon mixing a tablespoon of chipotle sauce with the juice of a half lime and brushing fish, chicken or pork with it before pan-frying. Coat the cast-iron skillet with olive oil and heat it to medium high on our outdoor burner before adding the meat. The Pacific rockfish fillets took about 5 minutes total; the boneless pork chops pounded to about a 1/4-inch thickness took just a little longer, about 8 minutes.

Meat and fish cooked this way is also delicious in soft tacos; before you put the meat on, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet, place 4-6 corn tortillas in a single layer, then sprinkle them with cheese (if you are watching your fat content, use veggie shreds or part-skim mozzerella). Put in the oven until the cheese just starts to melt. Cover with meat, jalapeños, lettuce, diced tomatoes and/or guacamole and serve.

Have it your way - healthful, even

Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese

McDonald's employs a director of nutrition? Who knew? Dr. Cindy Goody has been with McDonald’s since 2008. She was recently interviewed for Nation's Restaurant News, and had some interesting things to say:

Nutrition is the science of how our bodies use food to contribute to health, and as a registered dietitian, I have an opportunity to translate that science so consumers can use it to improve their health and well-being. As McDonald’s director of nutrition I have the opportunity to share this knowledge with the more than 26 million customers that visit our 14,000 U.S. restaurants every day.

Her philosophy is that there are no good or bad foods, but anyone can consume a bad balance of foods. Since McDonald's offered varied menu choices, she says people can build a nutritious meal from the items offered and by monitoring their portion size.

McDonald’s has provided nutrition about our quality food for more than 35 years. Today, there are eight ways customers can easily access McDonald's nutrition information: on McDonalds.com, via our toll-free telephone number (1-800-244-6227), on select product packaging, on the backs of trayliners, in-restaurant nutrition brochures, via voice-activated information through our toll-free number, via mobile devices and now on HealthyDiningFinder.com.

As an improvement to Happy Meals, Goody says McDonald’s sells more than 72 million Apple Dippers annually and more than 180 million Milk Jugs per year.

And guess what? McDonald's will even be adding oatmeal to its breakfast offerings next year.

We'll see if that gets the same real estate on their menu board that the Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese (740 calories) with large fries (500 calories) and soft drink (310 calories). 

(By the way, those aren't the most calorie-dense offerings: that would be the Angus Bacon Cheese with 790 calories, 2070 mg sodium, and the large triple thick chocolate shake at 1160 calories.)

If you want to check out the nutritional stats of your favorite Mickey D's food, you can view the pdf here.

To read the entire interview with Goody: http://www.nrn.com/article/qa-dr-cindy-goody-mcdonald’s-usa-director-nutrition?ad=healthydining&utm_source=MagnetMail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=richardsons15@yahoo.com&utm_content=NRN-News-NRNam-11-12-10&utm_campaign=Red%20Lobster%20looking%20to%20lower%20price%20points#ixzz154azWBnz

Lori K's mac'n'cheese

OK, so that wasn't much of a hiatus. I realized after bringing a dish of what I consider the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had to a party last night that I've never published a copy of it on this blog. So here it is. It's based on the recipe from marthastewart.com, the one my friend Lisa calls "crack'n'cheese" because no one can pass up seconds. My version is a little easier because, well, I'm lazier than Martha Stewart. It may also have fewer calories, but not by much.

Lori K's Mac'N'Cheese
Serves 12

Ingredients
Olive oil in spray can
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (you have bread ends? Use those. Pulse in food processor until fine)
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, divided
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
5-1/2 cups 1 percent milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use a pinch if making this for very young or old people)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups of sharp, melting cheese (extra-sharp cheddar gives the dish a good color)
6 ounces grated Gruyere or Gouda
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked until almost done, drained, cooled and separated

Instructions
Spray a 9x13 pan with olive oil and set aside.
Put crumbs in a small bowl. Melt butter and put 2 tablespoons in bowl with crumbs. Toss until well coated and set aside to cool. When cool, mix thoroughly with the Parmesan.
Heat the milk in a saucepan.
Put the rest of the melted butter in a large, deep pot that can hold the volume of the milk plus the macaroni. Bring the butter to bubbling over medium heat and add the flour. Cook 1 minute then add the hot milk slowly, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Remove pot from heat.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add the salt and spices to the milk-flour mixture. Whisk until well-blended, then add 3 cups of the cheddar and the Gruyere or Gouda. Stir well until the cheese melts. Add the macaroni to the sauce and stir well.
Pour the mixture into the oiled pan.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, then the breadcrumbs.
Bake until brown on top, about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then serve.

A cheesy substitute

Do you know what milk protein concentrate is? MPCs are created when milk is ultra-filtered through a process which drains out the lactose and keeps the milk proteins and other large molecules intact. And why should you care about that? Well, for one thing, since late last year, a lot of this foodstuff has been coming in from China, Ukraine, Poland and India, and has been ending up in processed cheese (go ahead, take a look at what's in that Kraft Single you're putting in your grilled cheese sandwich).

I don't think most of those countries have a good track record on processed food safety.

And the other bad thing is that by using MPCs, the price of real milk is affected and dairy farmers are taking it on the chin. So just say no to that easy melting processed cheese and enjoy the real thing.

Why don't we cook at home more?

The New York Times had an article yesterday headlined "The Commander in Chef," which called on Michelle Obama to set an example by cooking a meal at home occasionally, and went on to cite some statistics about how few Americans cook at home. Yes, the reasons are sound: Cooking can be a chore and many people don't have the energy once they come home from work.

But much of the problem is setting priorities and sharing chores. If you enjoy cooking and eat with someone else, ask them to clean up. If someone else does the cooking, offer to clean for them, or help them with the prep. And make dinner a focal point of your day. Plan a few meals per week (don't plan for every day, because things happen - someone may ask you to join them for dinner, for instance, or there may not be enough time to cook between work and night meetings or entertainment, and you can probably squeeze in another trip to the store later in the week if necessary). If you're tired when you get home, do what the French do; pick up a fresh baguette on your way home, smear it with jelly for the kids (maybe you, too) or maybe just a little bit of good butter. and enjoy it while you relax with a glass of cool water (or something stronger, if that's your pleasure). Once you're relaxed, get on with the dinner prep.

And think of dinners that taste great and don't take all that much time to prepare. 

• For cheaper cuts of meat, start them in the crockpot before you go to work. 
  
• When you're ready to start preparing dinner, fix the rice or fresh potatoes first (they usually take the longest, and stay hot the longest, as well). 
  
• Pound chicken breasts to about a half inch so they cook fast and evenly. 
  
• Roll out hamburger patties between two sheets of wax paper to about 1/4 inch before slapping them on the grill (for the best cheeseburgers around, roll them even thinner, put a slice of cheese, or blue cheese crumbles, top with another thin patty, seal the edges well and grill).
  
• Summer squash halves cook in about 8 minutes, try stir-frying greens, or start corn on the cob in the microwave and finish it on the grill (add butter or a mixture of olive oil and seasonings when it's done).

I'll post about do-head prep tomorrow.

Food and kitchen tips

My Uncle Vernon passes along a little something in his e-mails to me each day. A lot of times, it's just a joke or two, but today's offering is worth passing along to you (with a bit of editing to make it more food-oriented and more about healthful eating - but if you really want the Snickers bar and apple dessert recipe, click on the comments section below, leave a message, and I'll post it tomorrow).

• Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how the primates do it. 
• Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. 
• Store chunk cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold.
• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 
• Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. 
• Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. 
• Put cooked egg yolks in a zip-seal bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done - easy clean up. When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
• (Note from Lori K: If you buy natural peanut butter and can't seem to stir it well enough to mix the oil and the solids, a whirl around in the food processor for a few seconds will keep it mixed and easy to spread once it's in the fridge.)
• Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. 
• To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2" with apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 

Days without food...

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days; been dealing with the gang who is trying to get us into a new house (and a new kitchen!). Besides, it's April Fool's Day, so why would you believe anything I said, anyway? I'll post tomorrow morning before things get all crazy again.

Meanwhile, here are some links to today's food sections:

How I learned to love goat meat by New York Times' Henry Alford. Goat, the most widely consumed meat in the world, has been edging its way into yuppier climes for a year or so.

Mark Bittman (The Minimalist) on Spanish tortillitas, with recipe.

Brown rice, once synonymous with hippies and vegetarianism, gets mainstream respect. San Francisco Chronicle.

10 iconic California cheeses (only 6 of which I've had the pleasure to taste). San Francisco Chronicle.

And an asparagus recipe from Debbie Arrington of The Sacramento Bee:

Crispy California asparagus straws

Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 9 (36 straws total, 4 per serving)

This is a fast appetizer with great flavor. You can prepare them ahead of time and bake just before serving. As an option you can add a slice of prosciutto when you roll the asparagus up in the dough.

INGREDIENTS
36 asparagus spears
4 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, divided use
Salt and pepper to sprinkle on top

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim ends of asparagus. Blanche asparagus in boiling salted water until lightly tender to the bite, about 3 minutes.
Place one sheet of phyllo on a cutting board. Set aside the remaining sheets, cover with a damp towel. Brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter. Cut the sheet into nine rectangles, two cuts down from the top, two cuts across.
Place an asparagus spear at the bottom of the short side of the rectangle with the tip sticking out from the dough by two inches. Sprinkle on a teaspoon of cheese. Roll up spear and seal with butter. Finish with remaining spears.
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, salt and pepper. Cover the exposed asparagus tips with foil. Bake until golden brown and crispy 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Per serving: 181 cal.; 9 g pro.; 30 g carb.; 3 g fat (1 sat.); 3 mg chol.; 338 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 14 percent calories from fat.

Steers on steriods sends Roquefort to the moon

OK, since I realize that even those who regularly read the New York Times may have glanced at the headline ("Simpler, Cheaper Test For Illegal Steroids In European Cattle") and skipped reading the story ("What do European cattle have to do with me or what I eat"), I'd like to point out this little bit of parenthetical information:

Steroids are not illegal in the United States and are used extensively by beef producers.

If we don't think steroids good for athletes (they're not; I think I read a heart-wrenching story at least every month about some young man cut down in the prime of his life from overusing the stuff), why do we allow them to be used in our food?

And late last week, I heard on National Public Radio that since the European Union won't buy our drug-laden beef, the price of Roquefort cheese will be skyrocketing in the United States.

(Click on the colored words to be taken to the New York Times story and the NPR story and audio.)

A nest of cheese

A quick way to add a special touch to a soup or salad is to make some Parmesan cheese crisps to put on the side of the dish. For just one or two, I use a fajita skillet and do them on the stove. Heat the skillet over medium heat. When hot, put couple of tablespoons of Parmesan (the grated stuff in a can will work fine, but freshly grated cheese will give your crisps a more lacy texture), and spread it around into a round. Repeat on the other end of the skillet. When the cheese melts completely and starts to sizzle at the edges, they're done. Remove to a plate to cool.

Another thing you can do is make them one by one and drape them over a shot glass to make little nests. Use a paper towel to keep from burning your fingers as you form them. As each cools, make the next in the skillet. When you have a plateful, fill them with a teaspoon of hummus each and top with a sprinkle of basil threads or a pimento. Voila! Canapes.

Photo © Lori Korleski Richardson

Cooking what's on hand

One of the stories my friend and good cook Al always tried to get me to do is making a meal from what's in the fridge. Since I cook a lot, I do that a lot. Not every night lends itself to blow-out meals, and trying to creatively combine what needs to be used before it spoils (with a little help from pantry items) is a joyful exercise for me.

Last night, it was the hummus that was on the verge of spoilage. It was a red pepper hummus, which seems to have a shorter shelf life than the regular. So a quick peek as to what's on hand and I came up with the following dish, which my husband couldn't say enough about as he polished it off.

Lori K's fast brown rice and artichokes bake

1 bag Success brown rice (see note)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 14-ounce can artichokes (8-10 count), drained

1 tablespoon butter

4 ounces red pepper hummus

Chicken broth

2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the bag of rice in a saucepan and cover with water. (If you like your rice salty, put a teaspoon of salt in, too.) Bring to a boil, then keep on low for 10 minutes. Drain.

In a heavy medium-size skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Mix the crumbs and seasoning in a small paper bag.  Put the artichokes in the bag, two at a time, and shake until they are well-coated. Put on a plate and repeat until they are all breaded. Add the butter to the skillet, and when it is melted, put in the artichokes. Saute until browned on all sides.

Thin the hummus with a little chicken broth until it is the consistency of gravy.

Put the drained rice in a small casserole dish or pie plate. Pour the hummus gravy over it.

Arrange the sauteed artichokes on top, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve.

Note: The hummus, rice and cheese combine to provide a complete protein in this dish. You can use regular brown rice, but allow 40-50 minutes extra for it to cook. Unlike Success white rice, which takes almost as long as regular rice to prepare (with half the taste), its brown rice is an incredible timesaver and tastes pretty good, too.