Quiche Me!

 

 I'm basically lazy, so when I start thinking about fixing something to eat, I tend to go for quick, easy, and leftoverable.  Quiche fits the bill.  Today it's going to be a spinach quiche.

 

 I had a pie crust patiently waiting in the fridge.  I had a bag of fresh spinach.  I had ham.  And I had all sorts of cheeses.  I'm only minutes away from quiche.

I'll give you the basic ingredients then the step-by-steps and you can adjust and substitute as you like.  For example, I'm using ham, but you could fry up some bacon and use that.  I'm using Gruyère cheese, but you could substitute with other Swiss cheese or mozzarella or Monterey Jack.  Also, I have spinach on hand, but you could leave that out if you want.  There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to quiche.

Basic quiche ingredients:

1 pie crust 

1 cup cubed Gruyère cheese 

1 cup cubed ham

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 big handfuls spinach

5 eggs, room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup skim milk

freshly grated nutmeg

kosher salt and freshly grated pepper 

Rosie Note:  You could use whole milk if you happen to have it.  I never do.  But I always have cream and skim on hand, so I use that.  Also, I heat up the cream and milk before adding to the eggs.  You don't want it scalding hot (You don't want to scramble the eggs!), but you want it warm to medium hot.  This makes the quiche cook a bit faster rather than using cold liquid.

Have the oven at 350°.  Cook for about 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway through, covering top if it gets too brown.  You want just a slight jiggle when you shake it.  Then let it sit after you remove from the oven.

First, I sautéed a couple handfuls of chopped onion and cubed ham.

Then I stemmed a big bunch of spinach.

I added the spinach to the onions and ham

and let it cook down a bit.  Set it aside while you prepare the crust.

I like to use deep pie dishes.  And I use the refrigerated pie doughs that come rolled up, two to a box.  I don't like the frozen individual pie crusts.  They're not deep enough and they're always going to crack in the freezer.

Take the dough out and let it come to room temperature, then press it into your pie dish, crimping the edges.  Dot the bottom with cubes of cheese.  I'm using Gruyère.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have five eggs at room temperature.

Evenly spread out the onion/spinach/ham mixture.

I whupped up the eggs to a nice froth and added in a mixture of 1 cup heavy cream and 2/3 cup skim milk.

Then I seasoned the mixture with freshly grated nutmeg and kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (maybe 1/2 tsp each).

Pour in the egg/milk mixture.

Ready for baking.

350° for about 30 minutes, then rotate and cook another 20-25 minutes. 

 Remove from oven and let it rest about 20 minutes before slicing.

It's well worth the wait.

Enjoy!

Rosie Makes Shrimp And Grits.

I wanted a quick and easy lunch
with lots of flavor.
Shrimp and grits fit the bill.

 

Half my lunch was already fixed - the grits leftover from breakfast.  For the grits, I’m partial to the Lakeside grits brand.  Very smooth and creamy.  I add plenty of butter and, if you like, give the grits some cheddar lovin’.  Add enough water to make them nice and pourable.                        

 

 I peeled about a pound of good-sized shrimp,

then sprinkled some Togarashi seasoning and tossed to coat.

Togarashi is a seasoning mixture of red chilies,

orange and lemon zest, and sesame seeds.

You could use a few shakes of Old Bay if you like.

Next, I minced a few cloves of garlic,

chopped an onion, and sliced some red bell pepper

and a little red jalapeño pepper.

Fresh chopped parsley is for sprinkling over top.

 

In a medium skillet, I heated up a thin film of peanut oil over medium high heat.

Drop in the shrimp, separating into a single layer.

Add in the onion and ...

...the peppers.

Cook for about a minute.

Then turn the shrimp over.

Cook another minute and the shrimp should be done.

Depends on size of shrimp and temp of oil.

Please don’t overcook your shrimp.

Remove from heat.

To plate, pour a pool of grits and add the shrimp mixture.

Top with parsley and more Togarashi seasoning.

Or you could sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Enjoy!

 

Rosie Makes Miso Glazed Mahi Mahi.

My son came home the other day with a mess o’ mahi mahi and I’m one happy Mama.  There are so many ways to prepare mahi - one can bake it, grill it, blacken it, sauté it, fry it, and I’ve done them all. 

 For example, you might like to try my

 

 puffy tacos with mahi bites and a kiwi salsa.

 

 

Or my blackened mahi mahi with pineapple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or fried bites of mahi.

 

 

 

 

Or you can use the en papillote method.  (Yes, I used grouper in the post but mahi would work just fine.)

 

 Or you can encrust the fillets in pistachios and sauté them.

 

 Or you can simply bake mahi mahi.

 

 

 

 

 

 Today, I’m taking the fillets and marinating them in a miso paste-based sauce, then reducing the marinade and using it as a flavor-enhancing glaze for the sautéed fillets.  Add a few sides, say some wild rice and a stir-fried vegetable mix, and you’ve got quite a palatable meal.

 In case you’re not familiar with the Japanese staple miso paste, it’s a thick, savory paste made from fermented soy beans.  The soybeans are inoculated with a type of mold, called koji  (which is also used to make sake) and blended with other grains, then it’s allowed to ferment.  The longer the fermentation, the darker the paste and the more complex the flavor.  Miso gives you a boost of sapidity, namely that fifth basic taste component, along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, called umami.  Umami is salty, earthy, rich, intense, multi-dimensional, and kinda funky.  Basically, it’s what makes your mouth water.

 Now, on to some mouth-watering mahi mahi.

First, I'm making the miso-based marinade.

This is what miso looks like.

I keep it in the freezer and simply scoop out what I need.  (It doesn't freeze solid.)

Here are my ingredients for the marinade:

(Clockwise from top left.)

1 TB soy sauce 

2 TB sake (You could substitute sherry or white wine if you don’t have sake on hand.) 

 1 TB mirin 

1 tsp red pepper flakes  (That's the gochugaru in the picture.)

 2 TB miso paste

1 TB brown sugar 

2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed 

3 1-inch cubes of ginger, juiced and minced or pressed 

Zest and juice of one lime and one lemon (Oooh... Left out the lemon in the picture.  My bad!)

 

Rosie Note:  What?  You don't have mahi mahi?  Try the marinade with pork or chicken.  Either one would work well.

Combine all marinade ingredients.

Lovely mahi mahi fillets.

Now, remove that bloodline.

In case you don't know, the bloodline is that darker strip of meat that goes down the side of the fillet.  It's often oily and fishy tasting and, as the fish ages, the flavor gets stronger.  But then this fish was swimming this morning and I'm not giving it a chance to age.

Place the fillets in a ziplock bag and add the marinade.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Now, I'm fixing my side dish.

It's a bok choy stir fry.

I have:

chopped bok choy

chopped onion

sliced mushrooms

sliced garlic

sesame oil

sesame seeds

First I added just a slight film of oil in a pan over medium high heat and added in the mushrooms.

Let 'em cook for about a minute, turning and pushing around until nicely browned.

Next, I added in a little sesame oil and...

... added in the bottom stalks of the bok choy.

Cook it about 2 minutes, stirring.

Add in the onions and garlic.

Add in the more tender upper leaves of the bok choy.

Cook another minute.

Add in the sesame seeds.

And you're done!

I had wild rice ready to go.  Nice and nutty.

Now, I'm ready to cook the fish fillets.

Heat a film of oil in the pan and throw in about a tablespoon or so of butter.

Over medium high heat. 

 Add in the fillets after letting the excess marinade drip off back into the bag.

Cook about 2 minutes, then turn over and cook another minute.

Place fillets on a warm serving platter.

Pour the marinade into the pan.

Cook, stirring, until bubbly.

Let reduce a bit.

And now you have a nice glaze.

Pour glaze over fillets and add some sliced green onions.

Enjoy!