Bacon, Green Chile Strata!

I know what you're thinking, "this looks remarkably similar to that quiche in the last post....BORING" and youre right! And I'm sorry!
I had to make an egg contribution to a brunch picnic, and i figured why not share it with you all, even though it's not much different than the last recipe. The truth is, this has quickly become one of my favorite make ahead breakfast items, not to mention a Christmas morning staple for my family.
So basically, the order of operations will be very similar to that of our quiche, we are just gonna swap out a few things. A Strata is basically like a savory bread pudding of sorts, so the egg and the veggies and meats are prepared just like a quiche but rather than having a crust, you just layer the filling in with chunks of bread and they soak up the goodness.
So here we go, You will need:

*18 eggs
*1 1/2 C 2% milk
*1/4 C heavy cream (half and half will work also)
*2 cans of chopped green chilies (i actually prefer using whole ones and chopping them myself, but i was in a hurry so these work fine)
*1 Package of apple wood smoked bacon
*1 yellow onion
*2 1/2 C Grated Cheese (for this one i used trader joes "quattro Formaggio" blend, but sharp cheddar and pepper jack are also great if you prefer to not mix your green chile and tapatio with italian cheeses, i just really like how salty the parmesan and romano are, some how the regional inconsistency just works)
*1 loaf of white bread ( I used Ciabatta, but i have also used regular ol' sliced potato bread, and it turned out great)
*A few hearty Dashed of Tapatio
*and as always Salt and Fresh ground pepper

Pre heat oven to 350
Tear up all your bread in to chunks and line the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish




Chop the onion and bacon



Fry up the bacon until it's almost crispy. At this point, your probably going to feel the urge to drain off some of the bacon grease, PLEASE DONT, I beg you! That is the secret weapon, it soaks into the bread and gives a ton of flavor to the final product.





Add the onions. When the onions start to soften, add the green chilies, followed by a generous pinch of salt and some pepper.




Dump This oniony bacony goodness on top of the bread and make sure it's pretty evenly distributed.

Wisk together: the Eggs, Milk Cream and Tapatio, add a few big pinches of salt and a lot of pepper.



Stir a little over half the cheese into the egg mixture and pour it into the baking dish. I usually use a knife or a fork at this point to sort of nudge everything around and make sure the egg gets everywhere.
Now at this point, you can either top it with the rest of the cheese and throw it straight in the oven, or cover it and leave it in the fridge over night.
Either way, add the last of the cheese on top right before it goes into the oven, and bake until it's golden on top, and the center doesn't giggle when you shake the oven rack.




Again, i really enjoy this with a scoop of plain greek yogurt and a squeeze of Sriracha. It's also great with some fresh cilantro and green onion.
And if you really want to go the distance, it's amazing with with Mole. (my Mole recipe will be comin soon)

Enjoy!

Broccoli Pancetta Quiche!

Something about the magical combination of onions and Jarlsberg Swiss cheese just kills me every time, it's so good! So basically this quiche is just a legitimate excuse to indulge in this delectable union of flavor, while also incorporating two of my other favorite things: green vegetables and compatibility with Sriracha.

So you will need:

Pie Crust : Recipe Here

2 C Broccoli Florets
1 Med Sized Yellow Onion
1/3 C Diced Pancetta
7 Eggs
1/3 C Milk (2% or whole is ideal)
1 1/2 C grated Jarlsberg Swiss Cheese
1/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper

......and a good kitchen companion, i chose Blue Moon (which, my other kitchen companion, and friend, Jon made me promise to tell you all, is served in a *chilled* glass)



Ok, NOW we are ready.

Start by giving the pie crust about 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Next, dice the yellow onion, make sure the broccoli is broken down into small pieces, and grate the cheese.





Next in a pan on high heat, cook up the cubed pancetta till it's nice and brown, and then throw in the red pepper flakes



Then add the onions and sauté until they just start to get translucent



Next throw in the broccoli followed by a pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper and just let the broccoli warm through a tiny bit



Load the contents of your frying pan into the crust, and top with about half the grated swiss cheese



Now Beat the eggs and milk with a couple big pinches of salt and some fresh ground pepper, and pour the eggs mixture over the the contents of the crust, then top with the remaining cheese.





Now Bake the whole thing for about 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden and the middle doesn't jiggle when you give the oven rack a little shake. Let it cool for 5 minutes before you cut into it, that way any egg that may be soft will finish cooking.



DONE! I like to eat mine with a spoonful of plain greek yogurt, a hefty squeeze of Sriracha and an extra sprinkle of salt...for good measure :)

Perfect Pie Crust !

If any of you have ever had a slice of black berry pie while sitting outside in the late afternoon in an Arizona summer monsoon, you will understand why this pie crust is held near and dear to my heart. It is one of the few things on this blog that will NOT be my recipe, it's too good to alter, and i'm really not a baking gal anyway, so i will just be in charge of what goes inside the crust!
Ok, so when i was about ....12, I was at a relatives house watching her make berry pies and realized that whatever she was doing with the crust looked way too easy to be delicious. No butter, no rolling pin, no flour all over a board. How can this possibly be the most amazing pie crust ever? and yet..... i will never do it differently, this is my all time favorite crust !

Ok so, Here is what you need:

2 C All Purpose Flour
2/3 C Canola Oil
6 T Milk
3 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt ( and this is where i tell you, that i ALWAYS put more salt than that....cause i'm me. Make it, Taste it, then decide if you are like me)

And that my comrades....is IT


Throw it all in a bowl:



Mix it up into course crumbs with a fork:



Press it into a ball with clean hands, and if the ball is cracking or crumbling add a little more oil about a teaspoon at a time until the dough sticks together nicely (this always varies for a myriad of reasons, you just gotta work with it a little)
Now press it into a pie pan with your fingers, keeping it fairly thin on the bottom and thicker up around the edges:



Now with your thumb, and the knuckle of your forefinger pinch at an angle around the exterior of the crust:



And now you have CRUST! As far as the baking goes, it really depends on what you are putting in the crust and how long that will take to cook, some recipes will require that you pre bake it and some will not.

**Disclaimer this crust is really crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth-y. If you prefer a more substantial crust, you probably will not be quite as psyched on this as I am....and that's ok with me....I'm just sayin is all :)

...A Few of my Favorite Things....

Anybody who has let me take over their kitchen (and take over i do) for any amount of time, knows that i have very *particular* ways of doing things. And most of those people would also tell you that i usually come with a few tools in hand. So here are some items that i prefer to NEVER cook without.

Most important: A SHARP KNIFE!
Years ago, i had a knife set that was fairly high quality, and it worked alright. But everything changed when i got this knife as a gift from my Brother and his Wife. The First time i cut through a pile of uncooked bacon with this weapon, i almost shed a tear, it was like cutting through Jello. And now i cannot cook with out it.

"Shun" 8" Chefs Knife:



A GOOD Pepper Mill and Fresh High quality pepper corns
This may seem silly, "it's just pepper, the second most boring seasoning" but wrong you are. After i purchased my perfect pepper mill (that also travels with me) I realized how important pepper can really be. It makes a huge difference in my opinion having fresh pepper that is ground very fine. Now as far as the peppercorns themselves go, i prefer a rainbow peppercorn blend in my grinder for everyday use, lots of flavor, not overpowering.....and it looks perty! This Pepper mill is from Crate and Barrel, it is not the one i use but i purchased it for a friend as a gift and it's great!




Microplane Graters
There are a ton of uses for micoplane graters and many varieties as far as shapes and sizes go. I only have this one, and I really only use it for two things on a regular basis: Zesting (Lemons, Oranges, Limes) and Hard Cheeses (Parmesan, Romano etc.) Even though those things seem fairly trivial, i use them both A LOT and have always considered my mircroplane an irreplaceable tool.

Jambalaya?

Typically, Jambalaya is very rice-centric, i tend to steer away from rice anytime i have the opportunity to use bread to soak up the goodness instead. So the ratio of rice to liquid in my version of Jambalaya puts it closer to a soup or stew really, but the flavors are all there, and i have to say that this is one of my new favorite things to make. Because of the duck fat and spicy smoky flavor of the andouille sausage, one spoonful of this broth has enough oomf to knock your proverbial socks off.

Shopping list:

Lets start with the politically incorrect bits shall we?

2 Duck Legs
2 Duck Breasts
4 Andouille Sausages
1 Pound Peeled and de-veined Shrimp (the size is up to you)





Next, from the colorful section of the market:

1 Large Yellow Onion
3 Large Carrots
4 stalks of Celery
2 Red Bell Peppers
1 Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Red Jalapeno
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1 big handful or Flat Leaf, Italian Parsley
5 Sprigs of Thyme
1 Bunch of Mustard Greens
2 Bay Leaves




And then....Everything else....

2 Large (about 40oz) containers of Chicken Stock
2 cups of uncooked Rice ( i have made this a few times with different varieties of rice and the brown basmati was my favorite)
1 Beer (go with a brown ale or a stout, something heavy with a lot of flavor) I chose Newcastle!



You will also need about 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a bunch of salt and pepper.

Ok...First things first.......

Dice the Yellow onion, Celery, Bell peppers, and Carrots Fairly uniform in size and Chop the Garlic and Red Jalapeno nice and small. These are all goin in the pot at the same time so just put 'em in a big pile and set them aside.



Next Slice the Andouille into quarter inch thick pieces and throw those to the side as well.



Now that all that chopping is done, this is where i would open one of the extra Newcastles that i have in my fridge because i bought a whole six pack even though i only needed one.....But you are welcome to skip that step, if you are boring.
Ok, back to it...... Lay the duck out and salt and pepper both sides. Don't be afraid of the salt! i guarantee there is nothing you can do at this stage that will make the end result too salty.
In A Large pot on Med/high heat throw down the olive oil and let it get nice and hot, Arrange the duck skin side down so that all four pieces touch the bottom of the pan. If you don't hear a sizzle when you set the first one down....give the oil a little more time. Once you put the duck down....just let it be for a few minutes, dont move it around.



After a few minutes, Lift up one piece and check for color on the skin, you want a nice brown layer of goodness. If you have that, flip them all over and brown the other side. Once you have a nice sear on both sides, take the duck out of the pot, set it aside, and drop the Andouille in the duck fat! Warning....this is gonna smell good.




At this point you are essentially deep frying your smoked spicy sausage in duck fat, which is why the end result tastes so good. OK, So after about a two minutes or so throw in that big pile of veggies that you chopped and give it a big stir. throw in a teaspoon of salt and let those cook down for a bit.



After the veggies soften up a bit and a the onions start to get a little translucent, nestle the duck back in among the contents of the pot, add the two Bay Leaves, and then poor the Entire 12 oz beer over the top of it all. Reduce the heat to just above medium, and throw a lid on the whole situation.





Ok, now back to the cutting board: Pull the Thyme off of its little branches and give it a good chop, and then chop the green onions, Italian parsley, and Mustard green as well.




The contents of your pot on the stove needs about 15-20 minutes after you put the lid on, so if you are a fast chopper, have a seat, or do some dishes. After about 15 minutes lift the lid and throw in the thyme, the rice, and the chicken stock. I like to fill the pan up pretty full with the stock at this point but reserve a cup or two for the next step. Simmer with the lid on for about ten minutes and then remove the lid and pull out the duck and set it aside. Let the liquid simmer for another 10 minutes, a good amount of the liquid will evaporate.
During those 10 minutes, pull the Duck meat from the bones, cut or peel off the pieces of fat, and then chop the duck, and add it back to the pot.



Next, add the rest of the chicken stock (i typically also add in a cup or two of water at this point, because i prefer a lot of broth) and then stir in the green onions, parsley and mustard greens.
At this point things are going to vary a little bit depending on your rice, so give it a little test, if it feels too firm, give it a few more minutes. Once you add the shrimp you cannot give the pot any more heat so make sure the rice is where you want it.



Give the broth a little taste test, it definitely will need more salt at this point, how much salt is up to you, and i would also give it a health dose of some fresh ground black pepper.

We are Almost there!

As soon as the mustard greens soften up, and the rice is cooked, it is pretty much done. Turn off the heat completely and stir in the shrimp. Let it all sit on the stove for 4 or 5 minutes, and the hot liquid will cook the shrimp through without overdoing them. Rubbery shrimp are not delicious...i promise. And that's it...

There! Done!

Spoon it into a bowl and throw a piece of bread in there, Enjoy!