Wild Nettle Frittata

After picking up wild stinging nettles from the Union Square farmer's market this past Saturday, I couldn't help but post another delicious frittata I made. I was surprised at how much I liked the flavor of nettles, and how well they worked with the rest of the ingredients in my frittata. I also stir fried it with diced potatoes, filet mignon tips, and garlic - another simple, yet delicious combination. I love the unique, herby, slightly nutty flavor of nettle, and I'll definitely be back for more!

A bit of background on nettles: Stinging nettles are actually another one of those ignored super veggies, containing the most chlorophyll of any vegetable, 40 percent protein, and higher amounts of vitamins A, C and D, potassium and calcium than spinach. Unfortunately, when handled, they emit formic acid, which causes a painful sting when in contact with bare flesh that can last from a few minutes to 24 hours. So be sure to wear gloves or use tongs when handling raw nettles; once they’re cooked the stinging effect disappears. Also, only use the nettle tops, the stems are so stringy they are sometimes woven into a fiber.

Wild Nettle Frittata Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 1 pound nettles • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced • ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used about 10 garlic scapes) • ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese • ¼ cup young pecorino or Sardo cheese • 6 eggs, lightly beaten • Salt and pepper Directions: 1. Wash the nettles thoroughly with gloves on. Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic. Season with salt and cook another minute. 2. Add the nettles and turn the heat to high, cooking until nettles are wilted and most of the water they release has evaporated. Drain in a colander and then when cool, chop coarsely. 3. Mix the chopped nettles in a bowl with the cheese and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the eggs, then salt and pepper to taste. 4. Warm the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet, and pour in the eggs and nettles mixture, cooking over medium-low until just set and starting to turn brown. 5. Slide the frittata onto a plate and then invert back into the pan. Cook about 13 more minutes until done. Or alternatively, pop it into a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

Fried Soft Shell Crab with Simple Tomato Sauce

It's soft shell crab season, and I couldn't be more excited! Since Father's Day is tomorrow, I'm sure that Papa would have loved this dish, being a huge seafood lover like myself. In fact, maybe that's where I get it from? This guy even eats the green stuff inside large crabs that no one else in the family wants - we leave it for him because we know he will clean that baby out like nobody's business. Anyway, if I were back in California, I would've made this dish for him, but since I'm not, I'm just glad that he got to enjoy not one but three delicious Father's Day meals on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. Boy was he excited to tell me about all the delicious things he ate, such as live rock cod and ox tail in Japanese pumpkin and red wine sauce (except he spelled it "source" in the email - hahaha sometimes Papa has NO idea how funny he is!).

Soft shell crab is a bit harder to find than shrimp, prawns, and even lobster, but if you do find them, you MUST get the live version because the frozen kind isn't nearly as flavorful. Thankfully, there were live soft shell crabs at the Union Square Farmer's Market today! I paired this version of panfried soft shell crab, with a simple tomato sauce that is thick, sweet, and packed with tomato flavor. It's a versatile tomato sauce that can go equally well with other kinds of seafood such as mussels, with pasta dishes, for a pizza sauce, or for a dipping sauce for fried calamari. If you do use it for pizza, use the sauce cold or the crust will be compromised. You can also add chopped capers, olives, hot pepper, and anchovies at the end of cooking to give it a special twist. This time I only added arugula, because sometimes simple foods are the most delicious, don't you think? You get to appreciate the purity and flavor of each of the ingredients that way.

Fried Soft Shell Crab with Simple Tomato Sauce Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: Soft Shell Crabs • 6 live soft shell crabs • extra-virgin olive oil • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste • ½ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste • 1½ teaspoon paprika • ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional) • 2 teaspoons garlic powder • 6 tablespoons hot brown rice cereal Simple Tomato Sauce • 2 pounds sweet, ripe greenhouse tomatoes, washed, chopped, and seeded • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press • 1 large red onion, diced • 1 teaspoon salt • Bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and basil sprigs Directions: 1. Remove the carapace and lungs of each soft shell crab and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel and squeeze out excess water (soft shell crabs are water heavy). Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot brown rice cereal evenly on each crab. 2. Pan fry each crab in extra-virgin olive oil over medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping them over once to make sure they brown on both sides. 3. Tomato sauce: Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt, and add the herb sprigs. 4. Bring the sauce to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and cook for 30 to 45 minutes at steady simmer, or until the fat floats free from the tomato and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. 5. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if necessary.

Frittata with Lobster, Corn, Potatoes, and Tomatoes

Until last Saturday, I thought green eggs were just a figment of imagination in Dr. Seuss's book 'Green Eggs and Ham' but they really do exist! Apparently, they're from Araucana hens that were bred in South America by the Araucana Indians, and no one knows why eggs from Araucana hens are green. Originally, the eggs from these hens were actually blue but the pure strain of chickens then became adulterated by other strains of chickens as time went on, and now there are a whole range of blue to green colored eggs. Anyhow, I fried up some of the green eggs sunny-side up, my favorite way of making eggs... and WOW, way better than the conventional chicken eggs from the supermarket! It's hard to describe the difference, but the eggs had a distinct, richer flavor. Delicious, and I'll definitely be going back for more, though they are quite expensive for eggs ($5 for half-a-dozen).


Green eggs

This Saturday, I went back to look for more green eggs, but they had sold out. Instead, I bought a dozen pheasant eggs (slightly sweet and more delicate than chicken eggs) and a dozen wild turkey eggs (richer in flavor than chicken eggs though not as rich as duck eggs). Other times, at the same market, I've purchased pullet eggs (eggs from adolescent hens, which had a lighter, more fluffy texture than eggs from older hens) and duck eggs. I love that there's all these exotic eggs at the Union Square farmer's market!


Wild turkey eggs

Pheasant eggs

The Union Square farmer's market also had live lobsters available this time - just my luck! I decided to steam the lobsters, though you could also boil them. And since I currently can't have any heavy cream, butter, or mayonnaise, the usual pairings for any lobster recipe, I decided why not make an exotic frittata with the either the green eggs, pheasant eggs, or wild turkey eggs and pair it with corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and shallots (all ingredients that pair excellently with lobster)? This is not your typical frittata! And unlike other recipes I've had on this site so far, I decided to create my own recipe entirely, so I guarantee you won't find this recipe anywhere else.


A live lobster - he's looking a little irritated right now, but I knew just the solution! I promised to treat him to a nice, relaxing bath... ;)


See? I knew it would work! He had such a nice time, he didn't even want to leave - muahahaha!

Exotic Egg Frittata with Lobster, Corn, Potatoes, and Tomatoes Ingredients: • Extra virgin olive oil, as needed • 5 shallots, minced • 5 - 6 cloves garlic, minced • 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears corn) • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into eighths • 2 medium live lobsters, about 1½ pound each, or 1½ pounds cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks, at room temperature • 12 eggs Directions: 1. To prepare the live lobster, there are two methods - To boil: Fill a large lobster pot three-quarters full of salted water (use 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water). Bring the water to a rolling boil. Put the lobsters in the pot, making sure they're completely submerged. Cover the pot and begin timing, maintaining the boil, as follows: 1 - 2 pound lobsters: approximately 18 minutes 2 pound or larger lobsters: 22 - 25 minutes To steam: Put about 2 inches of salted water in a large pot (use 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water). Put the lobsters in the pot, and cover tightly. Begin timing, and boil for the times listed above. When the lobsters are done cooking, use tongs to remove them and let them rest in the sink to cool. Let the water continue to boil. When the lobsters are sufficiently cool enough to touch, take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors (they kind that you use to cut whole chickens up) to cut the shell and remove the meat. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces. 2. While you are waiting for the lobsters to cool, wash the skin of the potatoes and place them in the boiling water. Allow about 10-15 minutes for smaller potatoes, about 20 minutes for medium potatoes, and more for larger potatoes to cook thoroughly. When they are done cooking, peel the skin with a vegetable peel and cut them into chunks. 3. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; a minute later, add shallot or onion and garlic; cook for a minute, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until corn begins to brown and tastes cooked; season with salt and pepper. 4. Crack 3 eggs into a large bowl. Add salt to taste, 2 teaspoons olive oil, black pepper and cayenne pepper (if desired). Beat lightly. Stir the eggs with tomatoes, lobster, shallots, garlic, and corn. I also added a handful of spinach, in this case, but that's optional. 5. Thoroughly preheat a 10-inch oven proof pan over medium-low heat. Pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil. After a few seconds, pour in the egg mixture. As the eggs set on the bottom, lift the edges to allow the uncooked egg to flow underneath. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, then put the pan in the oven until the frittata is set on top, about 7 to 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Daring Cook's Challenge: Stacked Green Chile & Chicken Enchiladas

Tomatillos from the farmer's market

Having grown up in California, with a large Mexican population, Mexican cuisine is one of my most loved cuisines. And let me tell you - Mexican cuisine is far more diverse than burritos and tacos. After eating authentic Mexican food, I can't go back to the bastardized-"Mexican" food you would find at places like Taco Bell. Chipotle is not considered that authentic either, although it's clearly a significant step above Taco Bell, and as far as chain restaurants go, I think it's pretty decent. There used to be a Mexican restaurant near where I previously lived called Maz Mezcal that made fresh, homemade tortillas, fantastic shrimp enchiladas, and mouthwatering tamales. You could just tell that their dishes were authentic because some of the dishes I had never even heard of - they actually serve a baby cactus salad there, which previously I didn't know could even be eaten (was decent, as far as I can recall, but I don't know if I feel that I'd have to have it again). And they gave you big portions also. Maz Mezcal was almost always packed, even if it wasn't a Friday or a Saturday, which tells you just how popular the restaurant was; the noise inside it seriously reached deafening proportions, and whenever I ate with someone there, we'd both have to shout to hear each other (a bit annoying). But I still miss that place because there aren't too many good, authentic Mexican restaurants near where I live now, at least not that I know of. Long story short, I haven't had Mexican food in awhile so I was very excited about this month's Daring Cook's Challenge!

At first, I was worried that I wouldn't find some of the ingredients I was looking for, such as Anaheim chiles and tomatillos. But apparently, Anaheim chiles aren't that hard to find, and even if you can't find them, you can substitute some other type of green chile such as Poblano chiles or you can order canned varieties online. And you can find fresh tomatillos at Fairway's on the Upper West Side (74th & Broadway), Garden of Eden markets, Western Beef markets, or occasionally, at the Union Square farmer's market. I also found masa harina, but it wasn't organic, and nowadays I prefer to eat organic foods as much as possible. However, you can order organic masa harina from http://goldminenaturalfoods.com - they carry white, yellow, AND blue corn masa varieties in 1 pound bags (and also other hard-to-find grains and products, such as black quinoa.)

A note about masa harina: it is a must when making corn tortillas from scratch. Any other type of corn flour will not produce the same results at all due to the special way that masa harina is made. To give you a bit of background on masa harina, it's made when corn is dried and then treated in a solution of lime and water, called slaked lime. This does two things: 1) it loosens the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn, and 2) the lime reacts with the corn so that the nutrient niacin can be digested. The soaked maize is then washed, and the wet corn is ground into a dough called masa. When this fresh masa is dried and powdered, it becomes masa harina. I read that fresh masa is even better than masa harina but far more difficult to find.

Anyway, yay for another successful Daring Cook's challenge recipe! Makes me want to try my hand at other chile sauces, tamales, and the famous Mexican mole sauce.

Stacked Green Chile & Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients: • 1½ pounds or about eight 6 to 8 inch fresh Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped coarsely* • 7-8 ounces or about 4-5 medium tomatillos, peeled, stems removed • 4 cups chicken broth • 1 clove garlic, minced • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water for thickening • Tabasco sauce or your favorite hot sauce (optional) • 2 boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs) • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed • Kosher salt and pepper • 12 small corn tortillas, 5-6 inches in diameter, or if you making your own, 1¾ cups masa harina • 6 ounces grated Monterrey Jack or other cheese such as cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses, as long as they melt well and complement the filling (Note: This is not really an optional ingredient, but I omitted it this time due to current dietary restrictions) *Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size! Anaheim chiles have a heat score of 2500 (Scoville Heat Units) about 2-3/10. Jalapeños have a heat score of 5000 (Scoville Heat Units) about 4-5/10. Thai chiles have a score 150,000 (Scoville Heat Units) 8-9/10 and Habanero chiles have a score of 325,000 to 570,000 9+/10. Anaheim chiles are therefore considered very mild. Roasted Fresh Chiles Directions: 1. Put on a pair of disposable latex gloves so as to protect your skin from the chiles - and protect your eyes, in case you accidentally rub them after handling the chiles. (Anaheim chiles are mild in heat, but it's good to wear gloves just to be careful.) Coat each chile with a little olive oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster. 2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered. If you do all the chiles at once on a grill or using the broiler, it will take 15-30 minutes, plus time to steam (10 minutes) and time to peel and remove seeds (20 minutes). 3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool. 4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it. 5. DO NOT RINSE! How to roast Anaheim chiles: http://www.ehow.com/how_5106125_roast-anaheim-peppers.html http://www.ehow.com/how_4437304_roast-anaheim-green-chiles-grill.html Green Chile Sauce Directions: 1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, about 5-10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft, about 2-5 minutes. You could also broil them, for about 8-12 minutes. This can be done the same time the chiles are roasting. 2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor for a few seconds. 3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. 4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes. 6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat. Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas Directions: 1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal. Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°F. 2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-6 minutes per side for boneless chicken breasts and longer for bone-in chicken pieces. If you roast your chicken, a bone-in breast takes about 30 minutes (depending on size). Be sure chicken is done but not overcooked, since it will be in the oven in the last stage of the recipe. 3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred. 4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately. 5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most). 6. Drain on paper towels. 7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done. 8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce. 9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup of sauce over the tortillas. 10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and a third of the grated cheese. 11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese. 12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese. 13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. 14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes. For how to make juicy grilled chicken: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-make-juicy-grilled-chicken.html Corn Tortillas From Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen Ingredients: • 1¾ cups masa harina, makes about 15 tortillas • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water Directions: 1. Pour hot water over masa harina, cover and let sit 30 minutes. Add (additional) cool water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Divide the dough into 15 balls and cover with plastic wrap. 2. Heat a large (two burner) ungreased griddle or two large skillets, one on medium-low and one on medium-high. 3. Put a ball of dough between two sheets of plastic. If you don’t have a tortilla press, press to a 5-6 inch circle using a heavy frying pan or bread board or other heavy, flat object. Put the tortilla into the cooler pan or cooler end of the griddle. The tortilla will probably stick, but within 15 seconds, if the temperature is correct, it will release. Flip it at that point onto the hotter skillet/griddle section. In 30-45 seconds, it should be dotted with brown underneath. Flip it over, still on the hot surface and brown another 30 seconds or so. A good tortilla will balloon up at this point. Remove from heat and let them rest while cooking the remaining tortillas. Use quickly. For how to make corn tortillas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDegTyqL55o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6_iAZ-CCA&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFn3GKVLHnM&NR=1 http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_corn_tortillas/ For how to make flour tortillas: http://www.mangiodasola.com/2009/09/tortillas-de-harinaflour-tortillas.html http://www.texasrollingpins.com/tortillarecipe.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEz0puaKNTk http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=207 http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html

Daring Cook's Monthly Challenge: Brunswick Stew

I recently joined the Daring Cooks, a group of cooks/food bloggers that cook a certain recipe chosen by the host of the month. The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Since the recipe calls for rabbit, I knew I would need to head down to the local farmer's market at Union Square, where you can find all sorts of uncommon foods not normally found in grocery stores. Unfortunately, I didn't find rabbit and was told at the manager's station that "the rabbit guy" comes in the early summer. So instead, I bought turkey thighs, which I was told had a similar flavor and texture as rabbit once it's cooked in a stew. I also substituted smoked turkey bacon for bacon and frozen corn for fresh corn. It took quite a bit of work to make this stew, but it was worth it - delicious served over brown rice with a side of cornbread!

Brunswick Stew From Matt Lee and Ted Lee's The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners Ingredients: • ¼ pound or 4 ounces slab bacon, rough diced (I used turkey bacon) • 2 Serrano, Thai or other dried red chiles, stems trimmed, sliced, seeded, flattened (I used Jalapeño chiles) • 1 pound rabbit, quartered, skinned (I used turkey thighs, as I could not find rabbit) • 1 4-5 pound chicken, quartered, skinned, and most of the fat removed • 1 tablespoon sea salt for seasoning, plus extra to taste • 2-3 quarts or 8-12 cups Sunday Chicken Broth (I substituted canned chicken broth) • 2 bay leaves • 2 large celery stalks • 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, or other waxy type potatoes, peeled, rough diced • 1½ cups or about 5 small carrots, chopped • 3½ cups or about 4 medium onions, chopped • 2 cups or about 4 ears fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob • 3 cups butterbeans, preferably fresh (1¼ pounds) or defrosted frozen • 1 35-ounce can or 4 cups whole, peeled tomatoes, drained • ¼ cup red wine vinegar • Juice of 2 lemons • Tabasco sauce to taste Directions: 1. In the largest stockpot you have, preferably a 10-12 quart or even a Dutch Oven if you’re lucky enough to have one, fry the bacon over medium high heat until it just starts to crisp. Transfer to a large bowl, and set aside. Reserve most of the bacon fat in your pan, and with the pan on the burner, add in the chiles. Toast the chiles until they just start to smell good, or make your nose tingle, about a minute tops. Remove to bowl with the bacon. 2. Season liberally both sides of the rabbit and chicken pieces with sea salt and pepper. Place the rabbit pieces in the pot and sear off all sides possible. You just want to brown them, not cook them completely. Remove to bowl with bacon and chiles, add more bacon fat if needed, or olive oil, or other oil of your choice, then add in chicken pieces, again, browning all sides nicely. Remember not to crowd your pieces, especially if you have a narrow bottomed pot. Put the chicken in the bowl with the bacon, chiles and rabbit. Set it aside. 3. Add 2 cups of your chicken broth or stock, if you prefer, to the pan and basically deglaze the pan, making sure to get all the goodness cooked onto the bottom. The stock will become a nice rich dark color and start smelling good. Bring it up to a boil and let it boil away until reduced by at least half. Add your remaining stock, the bay leaves, celery, potatoes, chicken, rabbit, bacon, chiles and any liquid that may have gathered at the bottom of the bowl they were resting in. Bring the pot back up to a low boil/high simmer, over medium/high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover, remember to stir every 15 minutes, give or take, to thoroughly meld the flavors. Simmer, on low, for approximately 1½ hours. Supposedly, the stock may become a yellow tinge with pieces of chicken or rabbit floating up, the celery will be very limp, as will the chiles. Taste the stock, according to the recipe, it “should taste like the best chicken soup you’ve ever had”. 4. With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken and rabbit pieces to a colander over the bowl you used earlier. Be careful, as by this time, the meats will be very tender and may start falling apart. Remove the bay leaf, celery, chiles, bacon and discard. (I didn't remove the bacon, as I thought it was a waste of bacon.) After you’ve allowed the meat to cool enough to handle, carefully remove all the meat from the bones, shredding it as you go. Return the meat to the pot, throwing away the bones. Add in your carrots, and stir gently, allowing it to come back to a slow simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, for at least 25 minutes, or until the carrots have started to soften. 5. Add in your onion, butterbeans, corn and tomatoes. As you add the tomatoes, crush them up. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring every so often until the stew has reduced slightly, and onions, corn and butterbeans are tender. Remove from heat and add in vinegar, lemon juice, stir to blend in well. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce if desired. 6. You can either serve immediately or refrigerate for 24 hours, which makes the flavors meld more and makes the overall stew even better. Serve hot, either on its own, or with a side of corn bread, over steamed rice, with any braised greens as a side.

Mixed Microgreens Salad with Soft Cheese, Toasted Almonds, and Poached Duck Egg

Poaching eggs is a lot more difficult than it seems. There are numerous different methods: with or without salt, with or without vinegar, in plastic wrap (as shown here ) or dropped into water that has been stirred creating a "tornado". It will take some practice before I get good at poaching eggs because you have to get the timing exactly right and make sure that the egg keeps together when it cooks. However, I'm very pleased with the flavor of duck eggs - it's stronger than that of chicken eggs, just as duck meat is stronger in flavor than chicken meat (at least the white meat). The other difference is that duck eggs are larger in size. So far, I have been poaching the duck eggs, but in the future, I plan to experiment with baking with them in cookies or cakes, or using them in other recipes that require eggs. But first, I want to get poaching them down - I feel like it's one of those basic skills that a chef or a good home cook has to master.

Mixed Microgreens Salad with Soft Cheese, Toasted Almonds, and Poached Duck Egg Ingredients: • 1 pound mixed microgreens (pea shoots, micro mesclun, etc) • ½ cup soft white cheese, crumbled • ½ cup toasted almonds • 1 tablespoon black pepper • 1 tablespoon salt • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar • 4 free-range duck eggs • a pinch of paprika Directions: 1. Wash and spin the microgreens to get rid of excess water. 2. Bring a pan of cold water to a boil and stir the water, creating a "tornado". Drop an egg into the center of the tornado and cook for 4-6 minutes, depending on how running you want the yolk to be. Remove the egg from the heat and drop it into a bowl of ice water, to stop the cooking. 3. Dress the microgreens with a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then sprinkle with almonds. Place a poached duck egg on each salad, and add a pinch of paprika. Season the entire salad with salt and pepper, according to taste.

Duck Confit with Creamy White Beans

I love love love French food. The French have definitely earned their place as one of the world's most delicious cuisines. They are huge fans of duck, one of my favorite meats, if you couldn't already tell (I have a relative who started a successful duck farm, knowing he would make good business among the French)... and duck confit is one of my favorite preparations of duck (another favorite is the famous Chinese dish of Peking duck). It's also one of my man♥'s favorite meals, of all the meals I've prepared for him. Anyhow, the leftover duck fat keeps for at least 6 months in the refrigerator, provided that you strain it properly after cooking with it, and is wonderful for frying vegetables, potatoes, and steak with. Another thing I love about duck confit: The confit process takes about two days, but once prepared, the duck will keep in the refrigerator for two to three weeks! I paired the duck confit with creamy white beans. Any leftover beans can be used as a spread for toast!

Duck Confit with Creamy White Beans Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Duck Confit Ingredients: • 6 duck legs (drumsticks and thighs, attached) • 6 bay leaves, crumbled • 4 juniper berries, crushed • 1 tablespoon dried thyme • 6 tablespoons salt • 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns • 3 quarts rendered duck fat or homemade lard Directions: 1. Trim the duck legs of excess fat, leaving the skin intact. Make a small incision at the base of each leg, severing the tendon and cutting through the skin all around the bone. Combine the salt, bay leaves, juniper berries, thyme and pepper, and season each leg generously with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 2. The next day, melt the duck fat over medium heat in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot. Gently slip the duck legs into the fat, making sure they're completely submerged. Raise the heat slightly. Stir with a wooden spoon as the fat comes up to temperature. Adjust the flame to maintain the barest simmer the fat should never boil, but should swirl lightly sending up the occasional small bubble. 3. Cook the duck legs, uncovered, for about 1½ hours. Test a leg for doneness by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the drumstick; they should be almost falling apart. Carefully transfer the duck legs to a dish. Ladle the duck fat over the legs, making certain they are covered by an inch of fat. Cool the legs in the fat, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. 4. When you are ready to eat the duck legs, heat a cast=iron skillet over medium heat. Add the duck legs in one layer, skin side down, and cook over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the legs and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Creamy White Beans Ingredients: • 3 cups cannellini beans • bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and bay leaf • 2 medium onions, diced fine • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (optional) • salt • 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine • red pepper flakes (optional) • 1 teaspoon fennel seed, finely powdered • 2 teaspoons rosemary, chipped fine Directions: 1. Soak the beans overnight in water to cover. The next day, drain the beans and put them into a large heavy-bottomed pot. 2. Add the bouquet garni, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and skim any foam that has risen to the surface. When the beans begin to soften, after an hour or so, add a generous amount of salt and continue to cook gently until they are very tender. When they are fully cooked, remove from the heat. 3. While the beans are cooking, heat a sauté pan and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and carrot, season with salt, and cook over medium heat until tender. Set aside. 4. Purée 1 cup of the cooked beans in a blender with a little of their cooking liquid. Drain the remaining beans, reserving the liquid, but discarding the bouquet garni. Heat a large sauté pan and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the garlic and a pinch of red pepper, and warm briefly before adding the diced onion and carrot, the bean purée, beans, powdered fennel seed, and rosemary, if you wish. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are hot. If the consistency seems too thick, thin with some of the reserved bean cooking liquid. Taste and season with salt as necessary. Finish with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.