Flamenco Eggs (or the Man-pie)

Feels great to cook again! :D 
Granted, I did cook all through summer, but it was mainly for my family. Cooking for six is mainly about getting a large quantity of good food on the table, leaving little room for error. Cooking for two is much easier on my nerves and allows for more flavors and experiments to happen (and having a boyfriend who will eat anything I serve helps).

As such, I was looking through 400 Best-Ever Budget Recipes by Lucy Doncaster (my go-to book alongside Cooking School and FamilyFun Cookbook), and found this recipe under the Vegeterian section (GASP, I considered eating veggies!). Considering my budget and time, I had to modify the original recipe quite a bit to make it a fuller one-course meal.

Overall, it was a lovely dish and experience to share with my boyfriend, from cooking the filling, to looking as the eggs slowly rose in my itty bitty toaster oven to slicing and serving it like a big meaty pie.

Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 red and green bell pepper, diced
10 to 12 slices of bacon (substituting the pancetta in the recipe)
1 can of sausages (substituting the chorizo in the recipe), diced
1 1/2 tsp of garlic
1 tbsp unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 generous tbsp of white wine
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1/3 cup of roughly chopped cilantrillo
Dash of paprika, salt and pepper
Shredded cheese to top (Optional, I use my standard Italian blend)

Preheat the oven at 350F ("Bake" on a toaster oven). Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the diced onion, bacon, garlic, peppers, sausages and half the cilantrillo.

Add the white wine and season to taste. Let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes until bacon is thoroughly cooked and the onion is translucent. Crack the eggs (avoiding breaking the yolk) and set aside.


Prepare a 7" pie plate (or four baking dishes for individual servings) with cooking spray. Cover the bottom with the breadcrumbs completely.

Drain the cooked filling thoroughly and place it inside the pie plate uniformly. Gently pour each egg and cover with the cheese (if using it) and the cilantrillo.


Bake for 8 minutes (10 to cook the yolks a bit more) and serve immediately.

Corn beef hash with egg

Last week was a slow one cooking wise due to the amount of work the new semester's is dishing out. This dish was a quick option for a satisfying dinner for not my boyfriend and I, but for his neighbor and his roommate. It comes from my old standby book, The Best Ever 20 Minute Cookbook by Jenni Fleetwood, adapted to the ingredients available. To save up more time, I used microwavable brown rice instead for the usual steamed white rice.

4 eggs
1 can of corn beef
1 onion (I replaced it with a green onion), diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp paprika
tex-mex chipotle seasoning
2 boiled potatoes, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cups of cooked white rice

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil on a large deep skillet and cook the onion and green pepper until translucent. Season the corned beef with the nutmeg, paprika, seasoning, salt and pepper. Combine the diced potatoes to the corned beef.

When the peppers and onion are ready, add the corned beef hash to the skillet and cook about 10 minutes until . Flatten the hash about to about two inches and make four wells. Break the eggs inside the wells. Season the eggs to taste and cook thoroughly.

Serves 4

Early Morning Omelette

My version of Healthy, Fast and Cheap: Leaving Home Cookbook and Survival Guide's The Omelette with the added step of baking (for some reason, I wanted to bake it, I think I saw it in "Good Eats") and a change in ingredients. A big breakfast for my boyfriend and his study group after pulling an allnighter, and a chance to cook after being sick almost a week.

Ingredients
6 eggs
Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 red onion
1 tomato
1 green pepper
Tex-Mex seasoning
black pepper
shredded cheese

Start by preheating the oven at 250 F.

Add the oil into a large, deep skillet and heat to medium.

Meanwhile, chop the all the vegetables thoroughly. After doing so, whisk slightly the eggs together (or 2 at a time) until fluffy.

When the oil spreads easily, add the vegetables to cook. Once they're ready, pour the eggs over them, making sure they spread evenly. Add the seasoning to taste.

Cook until just about set, then stick in the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking. The egg will adquire a golden coating and a pizza-like state.

Serve covered in cheese and enjoy!

Serves 4

Pantry Salad

I came up with this recipe staring at my pantry to make a light, tasty dinner for my boyfriend and I without too much hassle. Since I had made a big stir-fry dinner (Pepper Steak with spicy rice) on Sunday complete with a special dessert (Jello-filled lemons) the day before, I was pretty burnt out the next day and had no intention of making something on that tangent. It also gave me an excuse to use Eggsworth, my new egg-shaped timer from jo!e.

Ingredients

2 eggs

1/ 4 cup of white vinegar

5-7 strips of bacon

2-3 tbsp of white wine

1 tbsp of Italian Seasoning

1 tomato

4-5 Roman lettuce leaves

1 / 4 cup of Parmesan cheese

black pepper

Croûtons

2-3 slices of whole wheat bread (without the crust)

1 tsp of garlic paste or 1 crushed garlic clove

1 tsp of Italian seasoning

1 1/ 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Start with boiling water and the vinegar in a deep skillet or a saucepan. Just before adding the eggs, gently swirl the water. Add one egg at a time and switch off the heat. Cook covered for a minimum of 4 minutes, but no more than 7 or it will overcook.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet and add the garlic and seasoning. Cut the slices into small cubes and add to the hot oil. Cook until golden brown and set aside. Note: to avoid too many dirty dishes, use store bought garlic croûtons.

Heat a small amount of water on a second skillet. Using kitchen shears (scissors), cut the bacon into 1/ 2 or so inch pieces. Add to the water with the white wine and sprinkle on the seasoning. Cook covered until well done and set aside.

Cut the tomato and lettuce into bite sized pieces. Arrange by this order: lettuce - > tomato - >

bacon - > eggs - > croûton - > Parmesan cheese.

Serve hot and enjoy!

College style Pasta Carbonara

One of my personal favorites to cook when hunger strikes. My mother makes an amazing plate of the stuff with garlic bread that keeps you wanting more. After two years of failing miserably on my own, she finally told me the secret: white cooking wine and an egg.

Serves 2

Ingredients

-A generous handful of long pasta, like spaghetti

-4 to 6 slices of bacon

-1 tsp of crushed garlic

-1/3 cup of Parmesan or Italian cheese, plus more for serving

-1/3 cup of cooking wine

-1 tbsp of Italian seasoning or oregano if unavailable.

-1/4 cup of vegetable oil I actually replaced this with 1 tbsp of unsalted butter

-1 tsp of salt

-1 tsp of ground black pepper

-1 egg

Boil enough water in a sauce pot to reach three-fourths of its height, adding 1 tsp or 2 of salt. On a skillet, start boiling 1 /4 cup of water to cook the bacon.

While the water boils, cut the slices of bacon into small pieces and slightly season them with the Italian seasoning. To start cooking the ham, add it to the skillet with the white wine , black pepper and the rest of the seasoning. Cover immediately to prevent the alcohol from evaporating.

When the water is boiling (or when the big bubble stream is constant), add the pasta and the oil. Cooking time is at your discretion, but here's a quick guide to get certain firmness:

-8 minutes: Al dente

-10 minutes: firm

-12 minutes: tender

Meanwhile, crack the egg and beat it slightly (as if making a fritatta). After pasta is cooked, drain the water from the pot and place back into the sauce pot.

Working quickly, add the bacon, cheese and egg together and mix until egg's solidified and cheese has melted.

Serve hot with some extra cheese and enjoy.

Cream Pudding covered with Meringue

Little egg-y wonders

Very egg-y and simple dessert that impressed my friend who came over way back in April. I'll update this recipe as soon as I can.

Recipe's based on two found in "The Essential Dessert Cookbook".

Custard:
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Meringue topping
4 egg whites
1 cup of sugar

To start, separate 4 eggs. Since we'll be using all of the eggs, store the whites separately for later. Boil the milk in a large saucepan on medium-high, being careful not to let it curl (it shouldn't take more than 7 minutes). Should it curl, stir it lightly until the thin film of curd is gone.

While the milk's getting ready, whisk the eggs and sugar until it's light and creamy (takes about 10 minutes by hand). Slowly pour the mixture into the milk and let it cook for 5 minutes until pale and thick, stirring it constantly. About 2 minutes before the cream's ready to bake, add the vanilla extract.

Get the hot bath ready by placing 4 ramekins into oven-safe soup bowls. Fill the bowls with boiling water up to halfway up the ramekins height. Pour the cream into each ramekin.

While they start cooking on their own, whisk the egg whites and the sugar until stiff white peaks form. Scoop the mixture onto the ramekins, being careful not to mix them. Place the plates onto a baking sheet and bake until the meringues are golden brown.

Enjoy!