Marrying into our family would be no easy fete.  The criteria is seemingly endless but the short list would include: must love babies and dogs, the beach, sitting around fire pits and be available to attend family dinner on Sunday night.   An interest in the NFL would be helpful.  Somehow our son and subsequently D & I  found absolutely everything in the person who I refer to as Daughter #3.  She is kooky and beautiful, artistic and talented, has created a beautiful home, wants lots of babies and loves my zany son-what more could a Mother-in-law wish for!

The biggest check mark is a desire to assemble with us at the cottage whenever possible, but for sure on long weekends.   We take turn making the meals at “Life is Good” and recently Daughter #3 planned ahead and brought out these already prepared and savoury frittatas.

Frittata is the Italian word for omelet but we describe them more as crust-less quiches.  They can be prepared ahead of time and reheated making them a perfect lake brunch.  As people awake, we sit around and drink endless pots of coffee and visit and then all of a sudden it is almost noon and we know that the guys will be home from their daily tennis games and ravenous-so a dish like this is the perfect solution.

They are Jamie Oliver fans but she said that she found her recipes on line so I did my own search and came up with versions likely very close.

Bacon & Tomato Frittata

6 slices bacon

7 eggs

1/4 c milk

1 t Dijon mustard

1 c coarsely chopped seeded tomato

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Cook bacon in large skillet; remove reserving 1 tbsp drippings in skillet; break bacon into bite sized pieces; set aside. In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk and mustard; blend well. Heat reserved bacon drippings over low heat; add tomato and garlic; cook 2 minutes or until tomato is warm Stir in bacon. Pour egg mixture into skillet; cook over low heat 4 minutes; as edges set run spatula around edge of skillet and left egg mixture to allow uncooked egg to flow to bottom of skillet Cover; cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until top is set but still moist. Sprinkle with cheese; cover tightly; remove from heat; let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted cut into wedges to serve.

I don’t think this was the recipe that she used but it looked very appealing:

Artichoke and Spinach Frittata

1 1/2  t  olive oil

2  c  refrigerated hash brown potatoes

1  T  Greek seasoning

1/2  c  coarsely chopped drained water-packed artichoke hearts

1  c  tightly packed pre washed baby spinach leaves (about 1 1/2 ounces)

6  large eggs

1/3  c  fat-free milk

1/4  t  freshly ground black pepper

2  oz  feta cheese, crumbled

2  Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat broiler.

Heat oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add hash browns; sprinkle with Greek seasoning, and saute 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add chopped artichokes, and cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in spinach, and cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring frequently.

Separate eggs, reserving 4 egg yolks for another use. Combine remaining 2 egg yolks, whites, and milk, stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture. Sprinkle with pepper and feta cheese. Arrange tomato slices over feta. Cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until edges are set. Place frittata under broiler, and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until center is set and top begins to brown. Cut into 8 wedges.

Kath’s quote: “When she goes about her kitchen duties, chopping, carving, mixing, whisking, she moves with the grace and precision of a ballet dancer, her fingers plying the food with the dexterity of a croupier.”-Craig Claiborne

Ever since I had the pleasure of tasting a version of this dish at Dubrovnik Restaurant in Winnipeg, I have been on the look out for the recipe.  I saw in a FB post that friends made this for a dinner party this weekend and they were willing to send me the details.

 The addition of the pecans on this fish gives not only great flavor to this fish recipe but a nice crunch that really makes this Pickerel stand out.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:
12 oz pickerel fillets
1/4 c pecans, chopped and toasted 
2 T butter 
1 t fresh chives, chopped 
1 t orange juice 
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine butter, chives, juice and half the pecans in a small bowl and mix well. Preheat grill. Take a 12 inch square piece of aluminum foil and cut 2 inch slits into it every two inches. Spray with a nonstick spray and place on grill. Put the Fillets on the foil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill for 8-12 minutes. The fillets are done when the fish flakes easily with a fork. One minute before the fish is done top with the pecan butter. Remove from heat and sprinkle the remaining pecan pieces over top before serving.

Note: We used ground pecans instead of chopped… it coated the fish better.

We had Pickerel in our house this weekend too.  I served Pickerel cheeks as an appetizer before Sunday family dinner as not everyone had arrived.  Just dipped in an eggwash, floured and sauteed in butter with a squeeze of lemon-they were a wonderful treat. 

Kath’s quote: “There’s a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot.”-Steven Wright

And so it is that I finally get to the topic of yesterday’s musings…..our Pecan Sweet Potato recipe.  Of all the dishes that I make, this recipe is most requested.  It is an adaption of  Jean Pare’s from her “Company’s Coming for Christmas” book.

The recipe calls for 2 large sweet potatoes but it is very easy to modify for larger crowds.  This weekend I’m using 6 huge potatoes.

Cut unpeeled sweet potatoes into large pieces and cook in boiling salted water until just tender.  Drain and cool.  They will now be very easy to peel.  Re cut into pieces of a desired size.  Toss with  a 1/2 c of brown sugar and place into a casserole dish, pouring a smidgen of water into the bottom of the dish.  Dot with dabs of butter. 

For the pecan topping: Combine 1/4 c butter, 1/4 c flour, 1/2 c brown sugar and 1/2 c chopped pecans.  Mix with your hands to form a crumb style topping.  Sprinkle over all.  Bake, uncovered for approx. 30 mins at 375 degrees or until desired tenderness is reached.

Baby marshmallows can be substitute if there are nut allergies in your family.  Simply skip the crumb mixture and after 30 minutes in the oven, place miniatures (quantity to your liking) on top and broil until brown and bubbly (watch carefully-this would NOT be a good time to make the turkey gravy).

I am thankful for all my readers and the friends in my world who make my life so worthy of celebration…with food. 

Kath’s quote: “I yam what’s I yam and that’s all that I yam.”-Popeye

Did you see when Jamie Oliver demonstrated to the elementary school kids how a chicken nugget is made on his Food Revolution TV show?  Even though I knew that they were not made from an in tact piece of chicken,  Omgoodness-it was so gross. One of the reasons that I love Jamie Oliver is that he doesn’t take away without giving back.  In this case, with an alternate chicken recipe that kids (and their parents) would love.  From Jamie’s Food Revolution:

“This crumbing technique is so versatile-you can cook pork or even cod in exactly the same way.  As there is butter in the crumb mixture, you can grill fry, roast or bake the meat dry in the oven and it will go lovely and golden.

serves 2

1 clove garlic

1 lemon

6 cream or plain crackers, such as Jacob’s (I would suggest salt-less soda biscuits)

2 T butter

4 springs of Italian parsley

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 heaped T flour

1 large egg

2 skinless chicken breast fillets

olive oil

Peel the garlic and zest the lemon.  Put the crackers in a food processor with the butter garlic, parsley sprigs, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Whiz until the mixture is very fine, then pour these crumbs on a plate.  Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork.  Lightly score the underside of the chicken breasts.  Put a square of plastic wrap over each one and bash a few times with the bottom of a pan until the breasts flatten out a bit.  Dip the chicken into the flour until both sides are completely coated, then dip into the egg and finally into the flavoured crumbs.  Push the crumbs onto the chicken so they stick-you want the meat to be totally coated.

You can either bake or fry the chicken.  If baking, preheat your oven to its highest temperature (475 degrees), place your chicken on a sheet pan and cook for 15 minutes.  If frying, put a frying pan on medium heat, add a few glugs of oil and cook the chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through, golden and crisp.

Either serve the chicken breasts whole or cut them into strips and pile them on a plate.  Beautiful and simple served with a lemon wedge for squeezing over and a tiny sprinkling of salt.  Great with a lovely fresh salad or simply dressed veggies.”

Kath’s quote (even though I would beg to differ):  “All in all, I think the British actually hate food, otherwise they couldn’t possibly abuse it so badly. Americans, on the other hand, love food but seldom care what it tastes like.”-Bill Marsano

This combination plate of squid and shrimp was served as an entree at Ristorante L’Approdo on the water’s edge in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily.  And here are the Garlic Prawns and Calamari recipes mentioned in Part 1.

Garlic Prawns

29 large prawns

1/4 c olive oil

3 oz butter

1/2 red chili, finely chopped (red pepper flakes to taste)

10 garlic cloves, crushed-yep I said 10!

1/4 c white wine

3 T chopped parsley

Peel and devein shrimp, leaving the tails intact (if you wish).  Put the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the butter, chili and half the garlic.  Cook, stirring for 3 minutes.  Add the prawns and remaining garlic.  Cook for 3 more minutes or until prawns are pink.  Turn the prawns, add the wine and cook for another 4 minutes.  Add the parsley, season well with salt and pepper and serve with fresh bread to dip into remaining garlic butter.

Calamari in padella con limone e pangrattato (From Jamie’s Italy)

olive oil

1-2 fresh red chiles, pricked (once again I used chili flakes to taste)

6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

2 large handfuls breadcrumbs

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 small package frozen calamari rings (defrosted as per package instructions)

1/2 lemon, very thinly sliced

a handful of flat leaf parsley, sliced

To make pangrattato, put 6 T olive oil into a think-bottomed pan.  Add chili, garlic and breadcrumbs and stir for a couple of minutes, until the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Remove and set aside.

Wipe the pan with paper towels and put it back on a high heat.  Add another splash of olive oil then season the rings and lay them gently in the hot pan with the lemon slices.  If you can’t fit everything in, do them in 2 batches.-you don’t want them cramped together.  Fry for a minute or so, until golden, then turn over and fry for the same amount of time on the other side.  The lemons will colour and need to be turned more quickly than the calamari, so just remove them from the pan and put to one side.  Take off the heat and divide the calamari and the lemon slices between your plates.  Scatter the pangrattato and the finely sliced parsley over top.  Serve immediately as they cool off quickly.

Kath’s quote:  “Do not overcook this dish. Most seafoods…should be simply threatened with heat and then celebrated with joy.” –Jeff Smith