Greenery.

It's that wonderful time of year, when asparagus season overlaps with ramp season, and all is right with the world.

This weekend, I made a variation on this sauteed asparagus dish - I subbed in ramps for the shallots (added the sliced bulbs at the beginning, and the sliced tops along with the chives at the end). I also happened to have some pea shoots, so I spooned the whole lot down on a bed of those. Extra grassy green flavor, FTW!

Spicing it up.

Way back when,  one of the very first recipes posted on this blog was for bucatini all'amatriciana. Yes, I've long been a fan of this sauce, made with tomatoes, red onion, bacon and crushed red pepper. Can you blame me? Because it's pretty freaking awesome.

A few weeks ago, while perusing my Pinterest stream, I spied something truly amazing: baked eggs all'amatriciana. And I realized that I'd been missing an incredible opportunity for many, many years. After all, I love eggs - especially when run under the broiler to set the whites and leave the yolks all runny and delicious - and I really, really love bacon, tomatoes, red onion and crushed red pepper.

And so, when I grabbed some local-but-not-yet-seasonal tomatoes at the Greenmarket this weekend, I supplemented them with a few teeny red onions and made my way home to make what I suspected would be one of the best lunches I'd had in quite some time. Spoiler alert: I wasn't wrong.

Turns out these eggs are not only delicious, they're brunch-worthy. They're the food equivalent of a Bloody Mary, minus the booze: spicy, rich, bursting with umami, and loaded with hangover busting powers. And since you can make the sauce the day before, they're perfect for those mornings you know you'll need a little something extra to get moving.

If you're feeling especially sluggish, I recommend extra red pepper.

Baked Eggs All'Amatriciana

1 slice bacon, cut into batons
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced crosswise
3 plum tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese, finely grated, to taste

Heat a saucepan over high heat. When quite hot, add the bacon and immediately turn the heat to medium. Cook until the bacon is crisp and most of the fat is rendered, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a plate, and pour off all but a very thin coating of the fat.

Return the pan to the heat and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes, until softened and just turning translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more, then add the tomatoes and season with salt. Cook for three to five minutes, stirring constantly, until the tomatoes have melted and the sauce is becoming watery.

Add the bacon back in, along with a half teaspoon or so of red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for ten minutes or so, until the tomatoes have well and truly released their juices.

Remove the lid and allow the sauce to cook 10-15 minutes longer, until the sauce has thickened. Taste for seasoning (it should have a decent kick).

(Everything up to this point can be done up to a day before serving; let the sauce come to room temperature, cover it tightly, and stick it in the fridge. Warm it back up before moving to the next step.)

Turn on the broiler. While it warms up, spread the sauce over the bottom of a large ramekin (I use my 16 ounce models). Crack two eggs on top of the sauce, being careful not to break the yolks. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Place the dish under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until the egg whites are set and firm, and the cheese is browned.

Remove the ramekin to a plate (to protect your table from the heat), sprinkle with a touch of salt and a bit more red pepper, and dig in. 

Serves one as a main course.

Queenie's Treasury

Happy weekend, my darlings! It's a chilly, rainy Saturday here in New York - which, though a little sad, is probably just right for the season. That sunny, 70 degree weather we had last week was clearly just a tease.

In far better seasonal news, ramps are here! I haven't made it to the Greenmarket to collect my first haul quite yet, but I already have a ramp-themed dinner party planned for next weekend. I'm thinking Gibsons with quick-pickled ramps, some fresh fettuccine with ramps and bacon, lamb chops and asparagus with ramp butter, and maybe a rhubarb galette for dessert. I'm hoping it'll be epic.

Easter is coming up, and if I decorated Easter eggs, I'd be all over these glitter ones from Martha Stewart. They are as of-the-moment as Easter eggs can hope to be, what with their bright neon sparkle. That might make them a squidge harder to hide for the kiddies, though...

Obviously.

During my most recent visit to Austin, I made not one but two pilgrimages to Magnolia Cafe for their Love migas, which are cooked in spicy garlic butter. I'll never be done with these, as they are, simply, amazing. To the point that I honestly don't even want to try and recreate at them at home, because what would be the point?

Some things are best left to the professionals.

Just the way I like it.

Best way to eat leftovers? Spoon them into a ramekin, top them with an egg and bake the whole thing at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolk is still a bit wobbly.

Sriracha is optional, but recommended, as is a sprinkling of sea salt and a grind of black pepper. A green salad on the side wouldn't hurt, either.

Oh, and - the leftovers in question (this time)? Lentil salad with bacon.

Now that's what I call breakfast.

Prune's butter-crumbed eggs with stewed chickpeas might just be the best breakfast I've had since my birthday migas in Austin. The crunchy coating on the runny egg adds a dash of textural contrast to the largely soft meal, and the preserved lemon on top of the Moroccan-spiced chickpeas is just...magic.

And if you're not veggie, you simply must have a side of the lamb sausage. No ifs, ands or buts allowed. No, sirree.

On hand.

Sometimes I think there's nothing in the house for breakfast, and then I remember that I have eggs, scallions, a tomato and half an avocado. What's better than that?

Answer: the Sriracha I squirted all over it after I snapped this photo.

Braving it.

If you weren't in New York on Sunday, you might not know this, but...man, did it rain. Not pretty, misty rain. Serious, pounding, stay-inside-unless-you-feel-like-getting-soaked rain. It was one of those days that you're pretty sure you'd prefer to spend curled up with a cup of tea and a novel, you know?

But I didn't just curl up with a book - in fact, I had a pretty fantastic afternoon on the town, which started with a lovely brunch at Vandaag. Vandaag, opened its doors about a year ago in the East Village, and is one of my favorite eating spaces in the city. It feels cozy but open - nothing's crowded, but everything is intimate, if that makes any sense.

I've been for dinner, and I've been for cocktails, but this was my first brunch visit. My very favorite thing was the coffee, a pour-over brew of single-origin beans. Delicious - smooth, round and full. The way coffee should always be, but so rarely is.

I ordered the slow-poached eggs, which arrived cooked to oozy-yolk perfection and surrounded by mustard greens, some cherry tomatoes, croutons, a bit of corn, and the best part of all: pickled beets. The beets were sweet and just a bit piquant - and tasted to me as if they'd been tossed with a bit of butter on their way to me. Not a bad idea.

My friend Caroline ordered one of the house specialties: hette bliksem (hot lightning). A cast-iron crock arrived bearing the dish, which was made up of crispy potatoes and bacon tossed with a stroop syrup. (You know the filling in a stroopwafel cookie? That stuff.) Except that this syrup had a spicy kick to it. So it was a big ol' bowl of potatoes and bacon coated with spicy caramel. Crazy delicious and interesting, but perhaps better as a shared side than a main course.

I can't wait to go back and try the pork belly and scrambled eggs, or the other coffees. And since it's a straight shot down the east side, I don't think I'll have to wait too long.

Diving in.

I've always been a bit leery of lentils. My family was not a legume-friendly one; aside from my mother's fantabulous baked beans (the woman was born in Boston, after all), I can't recall seeing beans on the table at all during my childhood. (This excludes string beans and haricots verts, both of which appeared with wonderful and delicious frequency.)

But in the last few years, I've become more bean-friendly. Until the last few months, my forays into beantown have been limited to the restaurant-and-friends'-houses sphere, but I've been branching out. You no doubt recall the chickpea stew I made approximately eight zillion times last winter and spring. My most recent adventure has been lentils.

It all started at Ouest (as many things do), where I had a dish served atop a bed of mustardy lentils. They were marvelous - firm, rich, a bit toothy. Nothing like the mushy mess I have to admit I'd been expecting. And I resolved then and there to eat more of them.

I've been hoarding lentil recipes for ages, but until Fairway opened in the neighborhood a few weeks ago, I had no luck finding the green, French variety everyone in the know had told me to use. Fancy Gallic lentils in hand, I finally got down to business. I set about making a warm lentil salad with bacon, sherry vinegar and leeks. Some of my favorite things.

The whole thing took about 30 minutes start to finish, and was well worth the effort. I worked off of this recipe, adding a bit of the spinach to the cooking vegetables and a bit more vinegar than called for. I was liberal with the salt and pepper (as one must be when dealing with legumes) and pondered - but ultimately rejected - the notion of adding a bit of mustard to the pan. (I think you should totally try it.)

I have deemed lentils a success. Good thing I have the better part of a sack of them in the pantry.

Warm Lentil Salad with Bacon and an Egg
Adapted from Gourmet

1/3 cup French green lentils
3 oz. slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch batons
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped*
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 tbs. sherry vinegar
1 tbs. finely chopped thyme
1 cup baby spinach
Olive oil
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and finely ground black pepper, to taste

Place the lentils in a saucepan and cover with two inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer the lentils, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Drain in a mesh sieve and set aside.

Meanwhile, place a large skillet (I used my 10-incher) over high heat until pretty darn hot. Add the bacon, then reduce heat to medium-high. Cook bacon until most of the fat is rendered and the batons are brown but still a bit meaty. Remove to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but a fine coating of the bacon fat and turn the heat to medium.

Add the leeks, carrots and celery to the pan and salt and pepper them a bit. Cook them until they're tender but not yet brown. Add the vinegar and boil until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the thyme and baby spinach and cook for a minute or two, then stir the bacon back in. Remove from the heat, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside - covered to keep warm - while you prepare the eggs.

In a small skillet, fry the eggs one at a time over gentle heat, until the whites are set but the yolks are still a bit runny. (If salmonella is an issue in your area, use pasteurized eggs or cook until yolks are firm.) Divide the salad between two plates, then top with the eggs. Add another sprinkle of salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Salad, without eggs, keeps nicely in the fridge for a couple of days. Bring to room temperature or warm gently in a skillet before serving.

Serves two.

*To clean the leek, first chop it, then placed the chopped leek into a bowl filled with cold water. Agitate a bit with your hand and let sit for several minutes. The dirt and grit will fall away. Remove the leeks from the bowl with your hand or a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to dry.

Best ever.

Best scrambled eggs of my life. Creamy, but not runny, and topped with duck sausage and chervil. BEST. EVER. Eaten this weekend at James in Prospect Heights, along with several cups of coffee, a few of Miya's fries, and a tangy green salad.

Yum.

What a woman's gotta do.

My refrigerator was full of Easter feast goodness, and my kitchen was super warm from the oven going all day long (cream puffs and ramp tart), so the eggs had to live on the windowsill for a bit.

I think they liked it there.

Always open.

I was raised for a healthy appreciation for restaurants that serve breakfast all day long. Diners have always been some of my more favorite places, especially when they rise above their giant menu and deliver a few true specialties. (Even if that just means they have seriously excellent coffee and fries.)

Austin, no doubt, has many of these kinds of diners. It is, after all, a city obsessed with both food and late night live music sessions, so there has to be somewhere to caffeinate and chow down after midnight. 24 Diner, the one I visited (twice) on this most recent trip isn't quite like the diners of my childhood (which featured neither local produce nor grass-fed beef), but it has something of the same ethos.

Witness their 24 Hash. It's made with potatoes, jalapenos (this is Texas, after all), sausage and bacon, and topped with two eggs cracked right onto the hash and cooked over-easy. It manages to be crispy and chewy at the same time, the dark edges of the potato segueing into bits of sausage brightened by the tiniest specks of pepper.

The egg is rich and a bit gooey, and I found that the whole thing benefited immensely from a healthy pour of Cholula. That bit of spice took the hash from rich and sinful to perfect - so perfect, in fact, that I ordered it on both visits. Don't judge.

Oh, by the way: they also have chicken and waffles, if that's how you roll. Cholula doesn't hurt here, either. Trust me.

An ode to migas.

 

Ah, migas. That incredible, undeniably amazing breakfast concoction made of eggs, tortilla strips, peppers, onion, cheese - and, at Magnolia Cafe in Austin - spicy garlic butter.

Oh, yes indeedy. I highly recommend you check it out as soon as possible. And, if you're not planning to be in Austin anytime soon, maybe you can give this devotee's recipe a try; I plan to try and recreate them myself sometime in the near future.

The nog.

If, for some reason, you're still craving eggnog in this post-holiday period, might I humbly suggest you hire my friend Nick to make yours? Barring that, please do give Craig Claiborne's 1958 recipe a try. Nick did, and the result was the creamiest, booziest, most your-spoon-stands-straight-up-in-it eggnog in the history of the world.

And don't forget the fresh nutmeg garnish. It's key.

Summer in a bowl.

Corn is in season, folks! Corn started showing up at the Greenmarket during the last weekend of June, just in time for the Fourth. There's little that says "summer" to me quite as clearly a fresh ear of sweet yellow corn, so, of course, I had to snap some up to feed myself over the long holiday weekend. I nabbed five ears and decided to use the first to make one of my favorite treats: warm corn and tomato salad.

I've made endless variations of this salad over the years; my favorites always include garlic, chives and a healthy amount of salt and pepper. This time around, I added a handful of gorgeous scallions and topped the whole thing with a fried egg - the easiest way to turn a bowlful of veggies into a fully-rounded meal.

This salad is a celebration of early summer, one that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner - or all three, if that's how you roll.

Corn and Tomato Salad with a Fried Egg

2 tsp. olive oil, plus more for frying the egg
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 ear of corn, sliced off the cob
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tbs. chives, finely chopped
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tsp. of olive oil in a small (6-inch) skillet set over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and scallions and saute for a few minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the scallions are softened.

Add the corn to the pan and saute for a minute or two, mixing the corn well with the aromatics. Add the tomato and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute, stirring, and then add 2/3 of the chives to the pan. Cook for another minute or so, then remove the mixture to a shallow bowl.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Add enough olive oil to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan and set it to warm over medium heat. Crack the egg into a ramekin. Once the pan is hot, add the egg slowly to the pan, doing your best to center the yolk in the white.

Fry the egg over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, depending on how done you like your eggs. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then remove from the pan with a slotted spatula (I like this one.) and add it to the top of the corn and tomato mixture.

Top the egg and salad with the remaining chives, season to taste with salt and pepper, and eat!

Serves one.

The miraculous egg continues to impress.

Years ago, I read a novel in which the heroine visits one of those big, white elephant resorts in the Catskills (kinda like the one in Dirty Dancing) and is given the choice of a blintz, sweet omelet or eggs for breakfast. I didn't think much of it at the time, but the idea of a sweet omelet has stayed with me ever since.

The other night, faced with a sweet tooth and a practically empty fridge (I don't particularly like to go food shopping when I'm about to go on a trip.), the notion of a sweet omelet surfaced in my mind. I immediately set to Googling and discovered that the idea is essentially to make a cross between an omelet and a crêpe. There's flour and sugar involved, but no milk or water. The result is something richer and puffier than a crêpe, but lighter and sweeter than an omelet.

And man, is it tasty. And the added bit of flour makes it a lot easier to handle than a traditional omelet; while the latter can be tricky to fold and flip, a sweet omelet is bound by the gluten in the flour and holds up nicely to even the most awkward manipulations with a spatula. You really do need to sift the flour, as you would for a crepe; if you don't, you'll end up with little lumpy pearls of flour throughout the omelet. (Trust me; I tried it both ways.) And while I preferred the flavor of turbinado sugar, I found that plain old granulated made for a more evenly-flavored result. (The turbinado kind of sank to the bottom of the eggs.)

The best part might be that it's totally legit to eat a sweet omelet for breakfast. (I halve the recipe to make a dessert version.) I mean, if pancakes or waffles or French toast qualify as breakfast, surely this does as well. And if you add a little jam as a filling, you've even got fruit involved in the equation. Um, sort of.

Sweet Omelet

2 large eggs
2 tbs. granulated sugar
2 tbs. all-purpose flour, sifted after measuring
Tiny pinch of salt
1 tbs. unsalted butter

In a small bowl, beat the eggs together with a fork, as you would for any omelet. Beat in the sugar, flour and salt.

In a small skillet (I use my eight-incher.) set over moderate heat, melt the butter and heat until slightly foamy, swirling to coat the sides of the skillet as well as the bottom.

Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook until the mixture becomes slightly puffy and set all along the sides. (If you want to add jam or another filling, now's the time.)

Using a silicon spatula, fold the omelet over on itself, then flip it over. Cook for another minute or two, until the butter in the pan just starts to turn brown and the omelet is puffy and relatively set up all the way through.

Serves one.

Odds and ends.

On Saturday morning, I arrived home from the Greenmarket absolutely famished. I peeked in the fridge and found about a quarter pound of asparagus, a single, already boiled La Ratte potato, and a dozen eggs.

The solution? An improvised version of home fries, made with a bit of olive oil and some leeks, with a fair bit of pepper thrown in for good measure. Asparagus blanched and topped with a light dressing of white wine vinegar, olive oil and a smidge of grated parmesan. Eggs scrambled with the rest of those leeks and a touch of creme fraiche, topped with chives.

The result? Pure deliciousness. I might have to have it again for dinner tonight.

Eggs, eggs, eggs!

I seem to be on a bit of an egg kick these days, in part because I'm not in the mood for defrosting anything protein-ish from my freezer, and in part because they're the sort of thing you can't really pack for lunch. I don't get to eat them too often during the week, and so I tend to gorge on them when I'm home.

For lunch the other day, I decided I wanted rice, but also an egg. Well, easy enough. Rice and eggs are a classic combination. Eggs are scrambled into fried rice, served fried on top of bibimbap, and huevos con arroz is literally that: eggs scrambled with rice. And so, for lunch, I improvised a bit. I cooked up some basic white rice, and worked on the topping in the meantime.

Leftover steamed broccoli was sauteed with garlic, soy sauce and a touch of rice wine vinegar (White wine vinegar will do in a pinch.). An egg was fried. Chives were sprinkled, and Sriracha was squeezed. Lunch was ready in ten minutes flat, and was delicious and satisfying.

It's not bibimbap (no array of marinated veggies, no delicious crust on the rice), but it assuaged the craving and made me a happy lady, so I consider it a mission accomplished.

Queenie's Craving Relief Rice

1/2 cup white rice
2 tsp. plus one tbs. canola oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup vegetables, chopped
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
3 tsp. soy sauce, divided
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 egg
1 tbs. chives, finely chopped
Sriracha, for serving

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Set aside, covered, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat two teaspoons of the canola oil in a small skillet set over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant and golden, about three minutes. Add the vegetables to the skillet and saute for a few minutes until warmed or cooked through, then add the vinegar, one teaspoon of soy sauce and the sugar. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a small bowl and wipe out the skillet.

Heat the remaining canola oil in the skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the egg and fry until the whites are just set. Turn off the heat. Place the rice in a bowl, top with the vegetables, and then with the egg. Drizzle the remaining soy sauce over everything, then add the chives and Sriracha to taste. Serve immediately.

Serves one.

Good morning, sunshine!

One of the best parts of any staycation is a hot, delicious breakfast. Most mornings, breakfast means some plain yogurt doctored with a dollop of jam or honey, eaten at my desk, typically while answering any emails that came in overnight.

Staycation breakfast, though, means farm eggs scrambled in butter, filled with sauteed ramps. Staycation breakfast, my friends, is awesome.

Scrambled Eggs with Ramps

2 tbs. unsalted butter, divided
5-6 ramps, cleaned, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 eggs, as fresh as can be
2 tbs. milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small skillet set over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of the butter until it just begins to foam. Add the ramps and a teeny pinch of salt. Saute for a few minutes, until the ramp leaves are dark green, almost black, and the stalks are tender and beginning to brown. Season with a pinch of pepper.

Remove the ramps from the skillet and wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Return the skillet to medium heat, and melt the second tablespoon of butter, making sure it coats the bottom and sides of the skillet.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and milk together in a small bowl, using a fork. Add to the skillet and scramble gently. As the eggs begin to come together, add the ramps back into the pan and stir everything together. Continue to scramble until the eggs are just cooked (or longer, if you prefer drier eggs). Serve immediately.

Serves one.

Spring at the Greenmarket.

Chilly as it was over the weekend, flowers abounded at the Greenmarket. Daffodils, hydrangea and cherry blossom branches were particularly plentiful, as they often are at this time of year. But it's still too cold for the orchids, who warmed their toes by the warmth of a little transportable heater.




It's still too early for spring chickens, but their eggs are on full display, along with small, bluish pheasant eggs and their large, pale duck cousins. Me? I settled for some delicious chicken eggs from Knoll Crest, my favorite of all.