John's Fiery Frittata

6 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3.5 ounces of canned chopped jalapeno peppers, drained
8 oz low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 cup melted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 2 quart casserole dish

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir in the jalapeno's, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and melted butter.  Pour into the prepared dish.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven.  Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool slightly to let set and cut into small squares.

Egg Fu Yung - It's what's for dinner

Tonight I had to come up with another creative dinner to use up pork roast.  I was leaning towards Chinese, since we went Mexican last night.  It popped into my head that I remembered seeing an Egg Fu Yung recipe in my Mom's recipe box, and I remember her making this on occassion and really enjoying it as a kid.  So I went about searching for her recipe, and somehow, somewhere I have lost it.  I really hope it shows up, because I'd like to try her version.  Instead I proceeded to search the internet for inspriation.  I discovered that this is a great recipe to use up leftovers, and there's a great sauce to disguiese all those leftover flavors you're tired of eating. 

Egg Fu Yung (there are many different spellings) is pretty much an American food created by American Chinese chefs.  I've read that it's based on an authentic Chinese dish, one of which is called Fu Yung Egg Slices which is from Shanghai.  The name itself is Cantanese.  (I just love the Chinese, their food has so much history - I think they should start teaching food history like they teach art history).  My personal history with the dish, is it was something my Mom would make when I was a kid, and I remember loving it.  When I think back, I think it was one of those easy fast food dishes she made when she didn't feel like cooking, and it was a great way to use up the leftovers from the Chinese take home food we occassionaly had.  A great way to use up her leftovers, and a kid friendly dish, and dad would eat it too. 

Since I couldn't find her recipe, I did some research and came up with my own Egg Fu Yung.  I scrambled together 8 eggs (for 4 people, intending to have leftovers for lunch).  Then I cut up about 1/2 cup of leftover pork roast (you could use shrimp, chicken, ham, steak, etc) 1/2 cup of bean sprouts, 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, 1/2 cup onions, 3 scallions, and one garlic clove.  I sauteed all the vegetables except the garlic for just under a minute, then added the garlic.  Then I added a mixture of 1 tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tbsp of corn starch, and the meat,then sprinkled it all with 1 tsp white pepper and 1 tsp salt. 

Then I made the sauce.  4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp saki, 2 tsp corn starch and I cooked until thickened.  Then I stirred in a couple tsp of oyster sauce. 

I put about 1/2 cup of the scrambled egg in a small pan and added about a 1/4 of the vegetable/ meat mixture.  I cooked until it was pretty much cooked through and browned on one side, then flipped it and cooked it long enough to brown on the other side.  I served it with a small smear of the sauce (it's pretty strong - it's good, but a little goes a long way). 

A little side of raw sugar snap peas, and we had a quick, easy and healthy dinner for the night. 

What's for breakfast?

Bacon -Wrapped Eggs with Polenta!

I love polenta, but my family pretty much despises it. So this morning when I was trying to think of something to fix myself for breakfast (everyone else had already eaten) I ran on to this recipe on Epicurious (from the April 2005 Bon Appetite Magazine). This was my chance to have some polenta and not have to worry about anyone complaining about me serving it, because it was all for me and only me. YUM!

I changed the recipe to suit me, what I had in the fridge, and garden. I think this would be a great recipe for a brunch because you can do a lot of it ahead of time, then just pop it in the oven as guests arrive. That is if you are lucky enough to have people in your life who like polenta. If you want the original recipe you can find it here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BACON-WRAPPED-EGGS-WITH-POLENTA-231872

Here's my version:

Polenta (this can be made up to 2 days ahead and you can assemble the final dish an hour before guests arrive):

This is for eight people, I modified it for one.
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter (for one - 1/2 tablespoon)
1/4 cup minced garlic chives (for one - a couple of tablespoons)
4 cups water (for one - 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt (for one - a pinch)
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal) (for one - 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese (for one - 1/8 cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme - from my garden (for one - 1/2 tsp)

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic chives and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Add 4 cups water and salt; bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in cheese and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to lukewarm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate; polenta will become firm.)

Baked Eggs:

20 thick slices bacon (for one - I used 2 slices of our bacon from the pig we butchered a few months ago.)

6 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated (for one person I eyeballed it. I would have preferred extra sharp cheddar, but didn't have any)
6 ounces Winey Goat cheese, grated (again, I eyeballed it for one) (*refer to notes at the end of this post)

8 large eggs (obviously 1 egg for one person - fresh from our chickens)
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic chives (a tablespoon - straight from my herb garden - yes I'm gloating.)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (a pinch, again, straight from my garden)

Fry the bacon until beginning to brown but still pliable, about 4 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly.

Line sides of eight 1 1/4-cup custard cups with 2 slices bacon each, forming collar. Place 1/2 slice bacon on bottom of each cup (I just used one slice to line mine, but 2 would probably have been better). Divide polenta among cups, a generous 1/3 cup each. Press polenta over bottom and up sides of bacon. Mix cheeses in bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese mixture over polenta in each cup. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Crack 1 egg into center of each cup. Sprinkle eggs with remaining cheese, garlic chives, thyme, and black pepper and a scant amount of kosher salt. Transfer cups to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until egg whites are set, about 20 minutes. Depending on your oven, this is if you like your eggs cooked hard. They were too hard for me, I like a little runny yolk and would cut the time down to 10 to 15 minutes, keep in mind all of the egg warnings, they can carry salmonella and other bacteria, so make sure your eggs are fresh and clean if you aren't going to cook them thoroughly. Let eggs stand at room temperature 5 minutes (eggs will continue to cook).

Run small sharp knife around edge of cups; tilt cups and slide bacon, polenta, and egg onto plates and serve.



This was so good! The polenta was warm, buttery and the parmesan added a wonderful pungency and saltiness to it.. The garlic chives and thyme added a mild garlicky taste and perfuminess. The bacon brought in a smoky element (everything is good with bacon!) and the egg, even though it was over cooked for me, was velvety and smooth in contrast to the grainy texture of the polenta (oh how yummy it would have been with some egg yolk to moisten the polenta a bit more!). The goat cheese gave it a slight earthy flavor and the cheddar gave it that creamy cheesiness that the child in us loves. I can only imagine how much better this would have been with a good sharp cheddar.

I think I may use this the next time I have a brunch, served with a sparkling wine and a salad of spring greens and a vinaigrette. Anyone out there who thinks this sounds good is free to steel it and modify as they please. Please share your modifications and let me know how they turned out so I can steel back. Hmmmmm the thought of blue cheese worked into this somehow seems like a potential....

*For those of you who may not be familiar with Winey Goat Cheese. I just want to let you know, it's not like the chevre you are mostly likely familiar with when it comes to goat cheese. If you want to use chevre, go for it, but it won't have the same affect at Winey Goat, which is a semi soft goat cheese that has it's rind washed and rubbed in wine during its curing. It's delicious!

Food Safety

Today I'm going to write about the fun and exciting subject of food safety. Why? Well my 4 year old recently came down with a terrible illness, which turned out to be E Coli, and possibly the dreaded 0157. That still has not been concluded, but all evidence points in that direction. There is nothing more heart wrenching then to watch your child writhe in pain for several days and know that there is nothing you can do but let the cycle run its course, and pray. Fortunately, I can say she did not get the E Coli from my cooking. It was most likely contracted from our goats, after petting the new babies, being exposed to their fecal matter, then not properly washing her hands before eating. But, it could have been food related, and that was a concern because there were two other E Coli outbreaks within the same area in the last month. So being careful about your food is always a good idea.

Yesterday, the subject of eggs came up, and the safety of farm fresh ones. So I'll start with the subject of safety and eggs today.


First of all, what is the biggest concern of eggs? Salmonella. Not a fun food poisoning to get, and one that cannot be treated with antibiotics. So, if you have your own chickens, what can you do to prevent getting Salmonella, or any other food borne illness? That would require proper handling of the eggs, the chickens and their nests.

So, to wash or not to wash, that is the question. One of my co-workers use to dip her hens eggs in a bleach solution. Is that the right thing to do? I wonder, as I had always been told it's not a good idea to wash eggs as they are laid with a protective coat on them called "bloom" that helps them to last longer. You definitely want to clean any pooh or mud off of them, but as for the detergent and bleach washes, I'm still wondering if it's a good idea. Even the USDA site does not recommend washing the protective coat off. Factory farms must wash all of their eggs. They sand them and then coat them with a tasteless, edible mineral oil. You definitely do not wash eggs from the store. You want that mineral oil on them for preserving them.

But what about the ones from your backyard chickens? In my research I've found many different opinions on this. In the forums, most small time farmers say no to washing their eggs of anything but the dirt and pooh.

Here is what the Virginia Cooperative Extension recommends. Collect eggs in an easy to clean container. Never cool the eggs rapidly before they're cleaned, because the eggshell will contract and pull any dirt or bacteria on the surface deep into the pores when cooled. You want to try to keep the temperature as constant as possible until they are washed. They recommend that you wash the eggs as soon as you collect them, to limit the possibility of contamination and loss of quality. Wash the eggs with water 10 degrees warmer than the egg, which will make the egg contents swell and push the dirt away from the pores of the egg. If the eggs are extremely dirty, use a mild detergent approved for washing eggs. NEVER let eggs sit in water. Once the temperature equalizes the egg can absorb contaminants out of the water. Then cool and dry eggs quickly. Store large end up at 50 to 55 degrees F at 75% humidity.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has this to say:
For eggs you plan to sell, they should be either lightly sanded to remove small areas of dirt or carefully washed in potable water 20 degrees warmer than the egg temperature and less then 90 degrees F using only sanitizers approved for egg washing. Place in a colander and rinse without submersing in the solution. Dry immediately. Do not wash sanded eggs. A bleach solution of 1/2 oz household bleach in 1 gallon of water may be used. Place eggs in a clean cardboard box and store at or below 45 degrees.

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln says, if you only have a few eggs, you can wash them at the sink with hot water. The hot water and the sanitizer should be as hot as the hands can tolerate. Make basins of detergent, rinse water and sanitizer, each containing 1 to 2 gallons of solution if you are doing a greater number of eggs. The temp should be 90 to 120 degrees. Wash eggs individually, but do not soak in the solutions. After the wash, rinse in clean water then dip in the sanitizer and set aside to dry. Promptly refrigerate dry eggs.

These recommendations have to do with people who intend to sell their eggs, or if you plan to share with friends and neighbors. What if they're just for your own personal consumption?

The book, Raising Poultry Successfully says to clean soiled eggs right after gathering and cool them as rapidly as possible. The Dirty eggs can be immersed in a pail containing detergent-sanitizer (temp 110 to 120 degrees) and then rinsed with clean water. Do not leave the eggs in the solution for more than a couple of minutes, then dry immediately. You can get these detergents at most farm stores. If there are only a few dirty eggs, you can wipe off the soiled spots with a cloth dampened with a detergent-sanitizer, then rinse in clean water. Some small flock owners use mild household detergents (unscented laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent). This process does remove the bloom, and there will be a loss of moisture from the egg through the shell and the quality of the egg will rapidly deteriorate. So, unless the eggs are going to be eaten immediately, the shell should be coated in an orderless, edible mineral oil. Many small flock owners do not clean their eggs until right before consumption.

Storey's Basic Country Skills has this to say about collecting eggs: First of all collect them often, which will prevent them from getting dirty or cracked. If you have a slightly dirty eggs you may brush it off or rub with a fine-grain sandpaper. A seriously dirty egg may be rinsed in water that is slightly warmer than the egg. It turns out that cooler water could force bacteria through the shell into the egg. Dry the eggs, place in a carton and refrigerate. Avoid getting into the habit of routinely washing the eggs. Water rinses off the natural bloom that helps preserve freshness.

So there you have it. How am I going to handle my eggs? I think I will follow the advice of Storey's Basic Country Skills. I'm most comfortable with that. It is what I have been doing all along, and it has worked fine. When I sell or give my eggs to others, I will continue to more thoroughly clean them as I have in the past. I usually use the detergent routine for those, but perhaps, from now on, they'll get a quick dip in a bleach solution, just to be extra safe.

When you get farm fresh eggs from friends or farmers markets, you may want to ask how they've been cleaned, and possibly do a quick dip in a bleach solution before you use them, just to be safe.

Now, go enjoy a good omelet!

PS. For sanitizers approved for eggs, check Fortuna Feed and Farm, Nilsens Feed in Ferndale or Eureka, The Farm Store out on Jacobs Avenue in Eureka, Three G's Hay and Grain in Arcata, or A & L Feed in McKinelyville.