Cheesy Broccoli Frittata

If you have broccoli sitting in your refrigerator shelf for a long time and  have no idea what to do with it, give this recipe a try. It is easy, yummy, and nutritious.

Here is what you need:

300g of broccoli  (of course it doesn't have to be exact :) )

200g of cheddar cheese (or your other favorite cheese), shredded

1 medium size onion, thinly sliced

3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or adjust to taste)
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

6 eggs

1 cup heavy cream (or milk)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp of salt

Pepper to taste

 

Before you start:

1. Cut broccoli head (trim off the stems) into bite- sized pieces. Run them under water to wash away any grit.

2. Bring 3-4 cups of water to a rapid boil. Add a tbsp of salt.

3. Prepare a bowl of ice water and have it next to your stove.

4. Preheat the oven at 350F.

Now, lets get started:

Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Pour into a colander and let drain completely.

Meanwhile add about a tbsp of olive oil to a pan and sauté sliced onion and garlic.

Grease a baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with 2/3 of shredded cheddar. Mix the rest of cheddar with the cooked broccoli and place over the cheese.

Add sautéed onion, garlic, and chopped basil.

 

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Whisk in heavy cream and add salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over cheese and broccoli.

Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the eggs are set and knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 

 

 

Serve hot and enjoy with a side salad and your favorite dressing.

Note: You can also make this frittata in a pan. Just mix all the ingredient together and pour into a non-stick pan  and fry until both sides are cooked.

Meat and Potato Patties

These patties are very simple to make. They look fab, taste yum, and very well loved by kids.

Here is what you need:

350g lean ground meat (veal or beef preferably)

600g potato, cooked and grated

1 medium onion, grated and drained

2 eggs

1 1/2 (or more) cups bread crumbs, divided

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 tsp. ground paprika

Salt, pepper to taste

Here is how to make it:

In a large bowl, add meat, grated potato, grated onion (make sure you squeeze it well to get ride of excess water before adding), eggs, and you spices. Wash your hands carefully and start mixing until well combined.

Add 1/2 cup or so of your bread crumbs and mix again. Note: If you think that the mixture is to wobbly add more bread crumbs until thick enough to form into a ball shape. let it sit for 1 hour in the fridge or if you don't have time get started with the next step.

Sprinkle some bread crumbs onto a flat surface. Take a scoop of your mixture and shape into flat patties, about 1/4 inch thick and lay them down on top of the bread crumbs. Flip and coat the other side as well.

Meanwhile, heat up 1/4 of the vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan. Once the oil is hot, take the patties, remove excess bread crumbs, and brown on both sides. Note: It is important to cook them over a low heat on each side to cook thoroughly.

Remove patties to a serving platter. Serve either warm or cold with salad and home-made fries .

Enjoy!!

Tagliatelle in brown butter and crispy sage sauce

  Butter is great on its own but browning it elevates its flavour to a whole new level.  It adds depth richness and a wonderful nutty flavour.  The crispy sage leave are my favourite part. 

I like to serve this dish along side chicken piccata. If you like some spice, feel free to add some chilli flakes as the butter is browning.  You can also try it with cheese ravioli, or your favourite pasta or roasted butternut squash.

What you will need:

Makes sauce for 4 servings

Tagliatelle noodles (or pasta of choice)

1/2 cup of butter, cut in cubes

8-10 fresh sage leaves

1/2 lemon, juiced

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

 Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, in a large heavy bottom sauce pan melt butter stirring constantly over medium-low to medium heat. Once you start seeing it foam up add your sage leaves. 

 Continue cooking, stirring constantly until golden brown (approx. 5-7 min). Immediately remove from heat. Add lemon juice.

 Drain pasta add to browned butter.

  Serve right away and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

 

Chicken piccata

Piccata is a way to prepare meat where the meat is tenderized, dredged in flour, sautéed and then served with a sauce. In this case the sauce is a tangy lemon-caper butter sauce. It is quite easy to prepare and a great dish to serve for company.  This recipe also works well with veal.

I like to serve it with brown butter sage tagliatelle noodles (recipe can be found here).

I butterfly the chicken breasts and pound them between two pieces of wax paper using a meat tenderizer until about 1/2 inch thin.

What you will need: 

Serves 4-6

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (butterflied and tenderized)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

All purpose flour for dredging 

6 tbsp of unsalted butter 

4 tbsp of olive oil

1/3-1/2 cup of lemon juice

1/2 cup of chicken stock

1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed

Directions:

 Season tenderized chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess flour.

In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat melt 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil and butter is hot add 2-3 pieces of chicken and brown on each side (3 min a side).  Transfer chicken on to a place. Add 2 more tbsp of olive oil and butter and repeat process with remaining chicken.

Transfer chicken onto a plate.

In the pan add lemon juice, chicken stock and capers. Bring to a boil and make sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add one tbsp of butter.

Return chicken to pan and let simmer for 5-7 min until chicken is done.

Place your chicken on a platter and melt the remaining tbsp of butter into the sauce. Pour sauce over the chicken. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley if you wish.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis.