veggie veggie

Dear Mom,

Well, thank God its over!  What's over, you ask?  My two week stint as a vegetarian.  Quite a stupid endeavor I'll have to admit.  Not to say that going vegetarian is stupid, its just totally dumb to do it for two weeks.  I was convinced by my husband and a documentary that he made me watch that animal protein was bad for you.  That is probably correct, but you know what?  I don't care.  I like meat and cheese and eggs and I'm proud of it!  So I tried to give up meat and eggs (not cheese, I just could not give up cheese) for two weeks, with the end goal of, "if I feel better, I might just stick with it."  Well, newsflash, two weeks is probably not enough, and lets be honest the end goal did not involve becoming a veg for the rest of my life.  So what did I learn?  Well, I learned a couple of new veggie friendly recipes and I'm going to cut back on my meat consumption.  That's about it.  Not exactly worth giving up meat for two weeks, but this is a very tasty recipe so some good did come of the attempt.

roasted red pepper and cauliflower pasta

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

2 large shallots, sliced

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio works great)

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained (in water, or if in oil, drain and rinse them in cold water)

chopped fresh basil

pasta, cooked and drained, reserve some pasta water (really any kind you like, I used a lemon-pepper pappardelle) 

Preheat oven to 400.  On a sheet pan toss the cauliflower, minced garlic, 4 tbsp. EVOO and salt & pepper to taste.  Spread in a single layer and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, stirring & flipping at the halfway point.  The cauliflower should be lightly browned and toasty when done.

Cook pasta according to package directions, reserve some of the pasta water.  

Meanwhile, in a saucepan or deep saute pan heat 1 tbsp. EVOO and add shallots.  Saute the shallots until they begin turning golden.  Add tomato paste and let brown a little, then add white wine and scrape up the brown bits.  Puree the roasted red peppers in a blender or food processor and add to the shallot-wine mixture.  Bring to a light simmer.

Add to the saucepan the roasted cauliflower and bits of minced garlic from the sheet pan.  Stir to combine.  Add the pasta and toss over medium-low heat, add some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick or not adhering to the pasta.

too many eggs, too little time

Dear Mom,

So this is what happens to your fridge after you host a party and get your delivery from your CSA box.  

Note the three cartons of eggs.  Three...  And not just three cartons of a dozen eggs, but the clear carton at the bottom actually has 18 eggs in it!  Yes, indeed, that means our fridge currently is housing 42 eggs!  I'm sure you have already guessed what is going on here.  My husband and I have decided to quit our jobs and become urban farmers.  We have installed the closest urban chicken coop to Chicago's Loop! 

Just kidding, although I think I had you going there for a minute.  We ended up with all of these eggs after a recent egg drought in our fridge, which happens quite infrequently considering my husband insists on eggs prepared some way or another almost every weekend morning.  It started a week ago, a Friday evening when he stopped at his favorite butcher shop, and sensing the impending doom of waking up Saturday morning sans eggs, picked up a dozen locally raised, organically fed eggs.  Then, Sunday, we were at Costco, where we usually purchase eggs, and I suggested purchasing the 18 pack considering we may blow through the current dozen residing in the fridge.  And, finally, Wednesday's CSA box arrives at my front door with, you guessed it, the final dozen.  Voila, 42 eggs.

And what does one do with 42 eggs you ask?  You make quiche of course.  A very logical and fridge depleting endeavor I believe, and boy, does my fridge need depleting, stat.  Of course I adore, and grew up on your lovely Quiche Lorraine, but I have recently invented my own quiche that was inspired by a recipe that my husband discovered on Epicurious.  Truffled Cauliflower, Gruyere & Prosciutto Quiche is laborious, but well worth it.  With a nice green salad dressed in a light vinaigrette to help cut the richness of the quiche it makes a wonderful dinner.  If, however, you are hosting a fancy brunch, I think this would be killer with mimosas or just plain Champagne.  At any rate, whomever you serve this to, will leave impressed, I guarantee it.

The original recipe from Epicurious was actually a tart and it was extremely rich, but in a decadently, delicious way.  To lighten it up, I took the basic ingredients added more eggs and nixed the cream, sub milk, and ta-da: a stellar quiche.  Oh, and I added prosciutto, inspired by the bacon of your Quiche Lorraine and the fact that pork fat makes everything better.  I do have to say that the prosciutto was a bit of a stroke of genius, you just add a single layer to the top of the quiche which allows it to get a slight crisp/chew that adds some texture and a nice salty, almost crust-like top to the quiche.

truffled cauliflower, gruyere & prosciutto quiche

1 small head Cauliflower, florets only, broken into bite sized pieces

2 tsp. Truffle Oil

1 medium Onion, sliced

Pinch Sugar

1 Pie Crust

2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 cup Gruyere, shredded

2 slices Prosciutto

5 Eggs

2 tblsp. Milk

1/4 cup Marscarpone

Salt & Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400. 

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.  On baking sheet mix together cauliflower, salt & pepper, and enough olive oil to lightly coat each floret.  Spread cauliflower out on sheet and roast in oven 10 minutes, stir, and return to oven for 10 minutes.  Cauliflower should be slightly browned.  Toss roasted cauliflower with truffle oil.  Set aside.

Prepare pie crust according to package to pre-bake crust, put the crust in for about 3/4 of the recommended time so that it is under baked.  Brush crust with dijon mustard.

Lower oven heat to 375.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tblsp. olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add onions.  Cook onions, stirring occasionally.  Add salt to taste and pinch of sugar.  Continue cooking until carmelized, about 20 minutes.

Whisk together eggs, milk, marscarpone, and S & P.  Keep whisking until eggs and milk are blended, and marscarpone is broken up into small chunks in the mixture, like small curd cottage cheese.

Assemble the quiche:  layer the carmelized onions at the bottom of the crust, then top with the cauliflower, and shredded gruyere.  Tear the prosciutto into strips and cover the top of the quiche in a single, loose layer of prosciutto.  Slowly pour the egg mixture over the other ingredients, allowing it to percolate to the bottom.  Be careful not to go over the edges of the pie crust and onto the underside of the crust.  

Place quiche on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, until set in the center (check with a butter knife).  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

cosmo's cooking notes:
A lot of this recipe is in the preparation, but its worth it.  If you can find prepackaged cauliflower florets, it will save time.  If you want to make your own pie crust, it will not, but more power to you if you want to!