Green Eggs & Ham Soup

Is it too early to start making soup?  This creamy, green soup is made with just flavorful pureed topped with a poached egg and ham.

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 ounces of thick cut ham

1 small onion, chopped

2 gloves of garlic, minced

4 cups of chicken broth or stock

4 cups of chopped broccoli florets

2 cups of chopped cauliflower florets

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1/8 tsp salt

4 cups of baby spinach

1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

8 cups of water

2 tablespoons of distilled vinegar

4 large eggs

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add ham and cook stirring often until browned, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and set aside. 

2.  Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and onion to the pot.  Cook, stirring often, until softened about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add broth or stock, broccoli, cauliflower, thyme and salt.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook about 6 minutes.  Add spinach and parsley.  Remove from heat and stand, covered, until spinach is wilted about 5 minutes.  Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.  Cover to keep warm.  

3.  Meanwhile, bring water and vinegar to boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat to bare simmer and gently swirl water in a circle.  Break an egg into a small bowl then submerge the bowl into simmering water and gently add the egg to pan.  Working quickly, repeat with all eggs.  Cook 4 minutes for soft set, 5 minutes for medium set and 8 minutes for hard set.  

4.  Serve bowls of soup topped with a poached and egg and some ham. 

Roasted Cauliflower and Gruyere Frittata

Serves 4

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into small florets
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 large eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups of whole milk
4 ounces Gruyere, grated (1 cup)
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Oil a 9 inch pie plate.  Toss the cauliflower with the paprika, olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast, tossing once, until browned and just tender about 15-18 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Spread evenly in the pie plate.

2.  Whisk the eggs, milk, cheese, parsley, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.  Pour over the cauliflower.   Bake until the top is golden and the custard is set in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. 

Duck Egg Carbonara

Rich duck egg yolks make a delicious, silky sauce for pasta. You can always omit the anchovies, if you prefer. 

12 ounces spaghetti
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
One 2-ounce can flat anchovies, drained and chopped
Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 Duck egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground pepper


1.  In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

2.  In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil with the garlic and anchovies  and cook over moderately high heat until the anchovies have dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper, zest, oregano and parsley, then add the pasta and toss to coat. Remove from the heat.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk the yolks with the reserved cooking water and add to the pasta. Cook over low heat, tossing until the pasta is coated in a creamy sauce, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

4 Servings. 

**Adapted from Chris Consentino: Nose to Tail Eating, 2011

Scotch Eggs

4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb sausage meat
1 tbsp brown mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup cooking fat (lard, refined coconut oil)

1. Place the eggs in a pot, then cover by 1″ with water that’s been mixed with 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; as soon as it is boiling, cover the pot and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 6 minutes in the hot water, then carefully transfer to a bowl of ice water; allow to cool, about 5 minutes. Carefully peel the eggs.

2. Combine the sausage, mustard, parsley, and nutmeg, mixing together with your hands. Divide the sausage mixture into 6 portions, then spread each one out into an oval shape. Add an egg to the sausage, then gently form the sausage around the egg as evenly as possible.

3. Warm your cooking fat to 350F in a skillet, then add an egg or two. When first adding the eggs, be sure to gently roll them back and forth to allow the sausage to cook evenly and retain a round shape. Once the sausage starts to brown, you can let it sit on one side and rotate only every minute or so. Cook until the sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes per egg.

4. Preheat your oven to 170F. Transfer the cooked egg to a plate lined with a paper towel, then place in the oven to stay warm as you finish the other batches of eggs.

** These can definitely be baked instead of fried. To do so, place the sausage-covered eggs in large muffin tins and bake at 425 until golden and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Chicken Stock with Whole Bird

Recipe by Laura Luciano, Out East Foodie

 

Ingredients

1 Browder’s Birds Chicken (about 3½ pounds), rinsed, giblets removed

1 head of garlic, halved

1 turnip, quartered

24 parsley stems

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

The fronds from 1 fennel

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 carrots, cut in large chunks

1 parsnip, cut in large chunks

4 celery stalks, cut in large chunks

2 large white onions, quartered

1 tablespoon of sea salt

 

 

Directions

Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in cold water so it covers the contents by an inch. Place the bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns, in pot and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to low and gently simmer for 2 hours, partially covered, until the chicken is done.

 

Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When it is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones; hand-shred the meat into a container.

 

Note: The chicken is perfectly good to use for chicken soup.

 

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetables. You can use the stock immediately or cool the stock down to room temperature and place in refrigerator until completely cool.

 

Skim the fat off the top and discard. Then freeze your stock for later use.

Roast Chicken with Apple and Herb Stuffing

I was passing through Bridgehampton yesterday and stopped at the Halsey family farmstand -- The Milk Pail -- for apples and delicious cider.   I just had to stuff a chicken with apples for dinner!

Ingredients

For Chicken:
5 sprigs of parsley
4 sprigs of thyme
1 4-lb white broiler or 3 1/2 lb red broiler
1/2 lemon
1/2 onion, quartered

Preheat oven to 375. Put the sprigs of parsley & thyme, the lemon and onion into chicken cavity. Season with pepper.

For Stuffing:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large apple, grated
1 cup of frsh breadcrumbs (I recommend Blue Duck cranberry-walnut bread)
1 small egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon thyme, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
salt and black pepper

To make the stuffing:  soften the diced onion in the butter for a few minutes.  Remove from heat and add apple, bread crumbs, parlsey, thyme, lemon zest, egg, salt and pepper.

Spoon the stuffing into the neck-end of the chicken. If you leave the neck attached, just cut an opening.  Close up the skin over the stuffing and secure with a wooden skewer. Put the leftover stuffing into an oven proof dish and cook for the last 40 minutes with the chicken.

Rub a little oil or butter, salt and pepper onto the chicken and cook breast-side down in a roasting pan until brown.  Once brown, flip over and cook for approx 1 1/2 hours. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.