Free Range Eggs and a Dessert Omelette
Do you buy caged eggs? Ages ago I did.
Back in the olden days when nobody was selling free range except at the gate of the farmer’s house, I bought eggs from the supermarket like everyone else did. Then one day I decided that it would be great to set up some raised veggie beds so I could have fresh vegetables all year round. I figured that if I was going to have a veggie patch I should get some chickens so I could feed the scraps to them and use their poo in the compost bins.
My husband, upon hearing all of this, said, “Can’t we just get some metal chicken cutouts and move them around in the yard? Are you sure you want to do this? It could be a lot of work.”
I gave him “the look.” Every woman has a look that says, “hey pal, don’t mess with me or you’re really going to regret it. There will be laundry not done, I won’t feel like cooking. I won’t feel like picking up after you, there will be no smiling and you will be sorry you pissed me off.” I should point out that I rarely ask for much. When I want something, I don’t expect anything but, “yes, dear, whatever you want.”
He looked at me, grinned and then said, “So…, what sort of chickens then?”
I did my research and I wanted chickens that didn’t have a reputation for flying over the fence. I’m not a trained chicken catcher and if I’m honest, I was a bit leery of catching them. I didn’t relish clipping their wings and I didn’t want to have to build a tall fence around their yard. We had quite a few foxes in the area as we lived at the edge of town and backed up onto bushland so we couldn’t let the girls out unguarded. I chose Australorp chickens. They are a deep black with a gorgeous shiny greenish tint in the sun. They’re big, fat and really pretty. Best of all, they don’t fly over the fence and I never had to clip their wings. Yay for that because I’m not a farmer.
On the ever loving net I found a gentleman who raised these chickens for shows and sold the girls that weren’t model perfect. It was good because the chickens and I were sort of the same thing – not quite models. (okay a long way from being models). We drove an hour and came back laden down with two big boxes of chickens. Yes, they made a lot of noise for the first 20 minutes and then they were quiet.
We put them in our new coop where they had to stay for a few days to get accustomed to where they would sleep. They weren’t old enough to lay eggs but they sure did know how to eat. On day 4 I let them out into the fenced area. I could have sat for hours watching them scratch around for bugs and eating the grass. Their social structure definitely has a “pecking order” and the poor girl who decided not to let the top chicken have the bug always got pecked on the head. She learned her place.
In the afternoons I’d work on these veggie beds or potting and I’d let the girls out. They followed me everywhere. They’d clean out the bugs at the bottom of the raspberry canes and the asparagus beds and if I was cleaning out a raised bed and I found a grub – what joy. I’d let them hop in the bed and scratch it all up. They were happy and lots less work for me.
After having had chickens of my own I could never eat an egg from a chicken who was made to suffer in a cage for all of her life. These birds love getting out and scratching in the dirt and rolling in the dust. Each one has a unique personality. Okay, they aren’t people and shouldn’t be given human characteristics – they can be pretty dumb, but they’re alive and deserve a quality life. To make them suffer so we can buy cheaper eggs should make us feel ashamed.
After raising chickens for about a year, I went to the local chicken show and bought this beautiful golden hen and all she wanted to do was to sit in the coop and try to hatch eggs. None of them were fertile because we didn’t have a rooster but that didn’t stop Helen! So, feeling sorry for her I ordered a dozen fertile eggs and had them shipped and Helen sat on them for ages. By this time my husband was quite accustomed to wonderful eggs and only said, “you spoil those chickens – first you buy them an air conditioner and now you feel sorry for a chicken who wants babies. You’re nuts but I love you anyway.” (the air conditioner was only an evaporative cooler – one poor girl died when the temps got over 100F, so I made sure it didn’t happen again. They loved the A/C!)
Then one morning we saw these little black faces poking out from under her feathers. They were so cute.
Apart from the humanitarian reasons for buying free range eggs, free range are better to eat and better to cook with. I’ve taken an egg out from under the chicken – still warm and brought it to the kitchen, then poached it and ate it on a piece of rustic home made bread. There is no better breakfast in the world than that. Chickens that get outside in the dirt get all the nutrients they need, their yolks are a deep yellow and full of flavor. They’re also very entertaining and I swear that watching them for 30 minutes is more relaxing than a nap.
Now, for another egg recipe. How about a dessert omelette? I made a fluffy breakfast omelette for you the other day and this is pretty much the same method. The only difference is how you serve it. It’s very much a soufflé for dummies. You don’t need to butter and sugar a ramekin and you don’t have to worry that the darned thing will collapse. With the omelette you can watch it and when it’s done, take it out and eat it.
This dessert omelette was filled with a banana, passionfruit pulp and whipped cream, then folded over and dusted with icing (powdered) sugar and drizzled with honey. I tell ya, you can’t get better than this. You might not want to serve it to the pope because it’s not as pretty as a soufflé but man it tastes just as good.
Finally, I want to thank you for visiting my blog. I can’t tell you how much your pal-ship means to me. This is my 100th post. It would be much higher if I hadn’t been so unwell last year but hey, life goes on and I’ll play catch-up for a while. I love cooking but even more than that, I love seeing what all of you are cooking too. I’ve become a much better cook because of you.
Everyone Can Make a Fluffy Omelette
Many restaurants will judge a new chef by how he or she cooks scrambled eggs or an omelette and there’s a really good reason for that. If you care enough to learn how to cook these two dishes AND you get it right, you’re going to do a good job on everything else.
I went to a cooking demonstration today and I got home and had to try the fluffy omelette for my husband. I’ll be honest here, last night there was a fair slosh of the bottle on his side of the table at dinner and I thought some nice bacon with an omelette on the side would sit well on his stomach. I’m the sort of person who would point her finger and say, “serves you right!” but instead I felt sorry for him. He’s taking me to a Thermomix demonstration tomorrow and I wouldn’t want to hurt my chances on getting one. heh
Now about this omelette. The trick to a great omelette is really simple – separate the eggs, whip the whites then add a tablespoon of water and whip to incorporate it. Whisk the egg yolks to make them an even consistency and then fold the egg yolks into the whites, being careful not to deflate the egg whites you’ve so lovingly whipped the heck out of.
Add the herbs if you want them, a pinch of salt & pepper and place into a pan that you’ve melted some butter til it’s frothy. Smooth the top of the mixture and cook on medium heat for about 30 seconds then place in a 200°C (400°F) oven til the omelette is set and just beginning to turn golden.
Take it out and fill it with whatever you want. If I were making it for me I would sauté onions, peppers and mushrooms and then add a cartload of cheese and stuff my omelette. Since I was making it for J I cooked up some onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, chives and parsley. He said it was really good and then he said something I nearly fell over about.
“You know, a bit of cheese would have been good with this,” he said.
He doesn’t even eat cheese on a hamburger! Cheese is expensive, eaten on its own and every bite is enjoyed – if you ask him. So, next time he’ll get cheese and I’ll try really hard not to roll my eyes in his direction.
Now if you’re wondering why there isn’t a beautiful photo of that omelette cut in half there’s a really good reason. I’m an idiot. If you have a skillet in the oven at 200C and you take it out and put it on the stove and then grab the handle (all the while holding the heavy towel under your arm) you’re gonna really piss yourself off. So while I was holding my left hand under running water I took the photo above.
J took the photo of the omelette that he’d cut into and frankly it was too wobbly to post. I can’t complain because he did try and it was his omelette to eat and he was hungry. I’ll try again one day.
p.s. the hand is fine. Running water for longer than you think you need to and then aloe vera from the plant does wonders for burns.
Honey and Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin
The smells wafting over the wall and into my office made me really hungry but the day was frantic around here. I should have put something in the crock pot but alas, hindsight is always 20/20 isn’t it? I was starving. I did think about bringing two plates next door but cooler heads prevailed.
On busy days there’s nothing better than a quick dinner when everyone is hungry. Oh sure, there’s always the fast food option but that’s not a choice we make very often. I like knowing what goes into the food we eat. When I cook there are no preservatives, fancy colorings or ingredients whose names take me a minute to figure out how to pronounce.
For me, pork tenderloin is quick to cook and can only be ruined by overcooking it. Trust me, you’ll only overcook it once because it’s like any other overcooked meat — only suited for shoe leather or the dog.
I preheated the oven to 400°F (200°C) then I grated the ginger, smashed the garlic and mixed them with the honey, lemon juice and soy sauce. I left the glaze to combine the flavors and then oiled the meat with a bit of olive oil, sprinkled some salt and pepper and put it in the oven for 12 minutes.
The glaze can be put on as is but we had one for dinner that’s not too keen on ginger so before I used it I strained it. The flavor was there but he didn’t have to look at the ginger.
At 12 minutes I took the pork out of the oven, turned it over and poured on the glaze. Adding it early means there’s a chance it will burn and that’s not a good look. I returned it to the oven for another 12 minutes (you’d have to look at the size of the pork to be sure on cooking time. Be sure by using a thermometer to make sure the internal temp is 145°F.) During the last 12 minutes I basted the pork a few times.
After taking it out of the oven I rested it and then sliced it into half inch slices and drizzled the glaze over it. Everyone really liked it. I would make it again.
I promise to do better with the photos. Sometimes when there are people standing over you with drooly faces it’s tough to say, “hold on, that was a crappy photo!”
| Honey and Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin |
5.0 from 1 reviews
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- 1 tbs freshly rated ginger
- 1 small clove of garlic smashed
- 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbs soy sauce (I used low sodium)
- 1 pork tenderloin about a pound (half a kilo)
- 1 tsp olive oil to coat pork
- salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C)
- Combine the ginger, garlic, honey, lemon juice and soy sauce in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Lightly coat pork with olive oil
- Sprinkle on salt and pepper and place in preheated oven for 12 minutes.
- Remove pork from oven, turn over and pour glaze over tenderloin and return to the oven for 12 minutes.
- Baste several times during the last 12 minutes of cooking.
- Check internal temperature with a thermometer to be sure it’s 145F
- Rest for 6 to 10 minutes then cut 1/2 inch slices and drizzle glaze on top.
Scalloped Yams with Praline Topping
As I lounged around all those months trying to feel better I thought about those potatoes and how good they looked and how much everyone liked them. We had dinner with friends tonight but I brought the potatoes.
I even made a very tiny casserole all for myself. It doesn’t hold much but every bite will be delicious. This over the top decadent dish is really easy to make and you’ll feel spoiled with every forkful. Okay I’ll admit it, I plan to eat it with a spoon so I get all the topping.
You can even start this dish several hours ahead of time by making the topping and precooking the potatoes. Then just before your meal, put them together and toss in the oven for 50 minutes.
I peeled and sliced the yams into 3/4 inch slices and boiled them in salted water for only 5 minutes. You don’t want the potatoes to turn to mush before you get them in the casserole dish.
Once the yams are parboiled, layer them in a buttered casserole dish by overlapping in vertical rows. That’s the directions on the recipe I used from recipelink.com. I didn’t follow all their directions because I put the potatoes in the dishes the best way that they fit. Some of my yams were fat and some were really long and thinnish.
Heat the cream and while it’s heating, place the precooked potatoes in the buttered baking dish.
As you can see, they aren’t very attractive at this point but wait just a few minutes and you’ll see that it won’t matter one bit.
Once the cream is hot, pour it over the yams til it just covers the top of the potatoes. This dish didn’t call for any salt or pepper and I didn’t put any. I did worry about that but the dish was just fine.
Put the cream covered potatoes into a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 375F. While the potatoes are cooking, do the good part. Make the praline topping. I don’t know how you pronounce it but when I had this the first time I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee and it was called “pray leen” and that’s how I’ve said it ever since.
Place the topping ingredients in a bowl and work the butter into the brown sugar, flour and pecans with your fingers until well combined. Feel free to increase the quantities of the topping because, well… it’s the best bit. The potatoes are there only to hold up the cream and the topping. I’m pretty sure I’m right.
So once you have your potatoes swimming in hot cream remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the praline mixture across the top of the potatoes and cream. It should look like this. See what I meant about it not mattering how you layered the potatoes? You can’t see them under all that goodness!
Put the dish back in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t do what I did and put 1 quart in a half quart dish. The cream will bubble over and you’ll have to clean the oven. However, it will be worth it because then the dish will look like the photo at the top of the page.
| Scalloped Yams with Praline Topping |
5.0 from 2 reviews
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- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter – room temperature
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- 1/3 cup pecans chopped
- 6 yams peeled and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices
- 1 1/2 cups cream
- Butter for greasing casserole
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Parboil the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Cover and set aside.
- Place brown sugar, butter, flour and pecans in a small bowl. Work the butter into the the mixture using your fingers til well combined.
- Heat cream to near boiling.
- Butter casserole dish and layer yams any way that makes you happy. It really doesn’t matter. If you’re using a large casserole dish, feel free to overlap the slices.
- Pour hot cream over yams til it just covers the top slices.
- Place casserole in oven for 20 minutes.
- Take casserole out of oven and sprinkle the praline topping over the potatoes and cream and return to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
- Serve hot.
You can make this dish up to 8 hours ahead of time. Keep the topping mix at room temperature.
Clean the Fridge Salad with Fregola Sarda
So, I had half a bag of fregola sarda that I’d vacuum sealed. Fregola sarda is Sardinian pasta where it’s hand rolled by rubbing semolina and a little bit of water a bit at a time and then toasted. I was stuck with finding something to make with it or toss it. I hate tossing food.
I found a recipe for caramelized butternut squash (pumpkin) with fregola sarda and chermoula on Food52 and that’s where I started. I thought it sounded good but It seemed hotter than I had in mind. Then I went to the pantry and found 5 little pickling onions and a head of garlic. I went to the fridge and found half a butternut squash (pumpkin), 1 1/2 sweet red peppers (capsicum) and that decided lunch.
First I roasted the peppers (capsicum) at 215C til they were blackish and placed them in a bowl and covered it with cling film for them to sweat their skins off so I could seed and chop them up. I peeled and chopped the butternut into 3/4 inch pieces and put them in a bowl and drizzled olive oil, a tablespoon of brown sugar, kosher salt and some pepper and mixed to coat. I placed the orange chunks of joy on some baking paper on a baking tray and popped it in the oven at 185C for about 40 minutes til it was golden brown on the edges but not burnt. Caramelized butternut squash (pumpkin) – doesn’t that just sound delicious? It was. Before I added it to the bowl I tasted a piece just to be sure. It took a 2nd piece before I was totally convinced. Heavenly.
I peeled the onions and placed them in a microwave safe dish with a pat of butter and some sea salt for about 5 minutes til the edges were just beginning to caramelize. Yum.
After I put the squash in the oven I took a head of garlic, sliced off the bottom (I know we’re supposed to slice off the top but I have better luck doing the bottom. The cloves come out all caramelized and perfect without getting squooshed. I took a big sheet of aluminum foil (normally I say tin foil so I don’t have to suffer with alyoomineeum because it just doesn’t roll off my tongue. it’s aluminum where I come from, no extra i. I lived in Alcoa, Tennessee when I was in college and they know aluminum there. lol) Now where was I.. oh yes. Fold the foil in two and put a squirt of olive oil and rub the cut side of the garlic in the oil and then roll it around. Sprinkle some kosher salt on top and fold the edges of the foil around the garlic, twist to seal and pop it in the oven at 200C for about 40 minutes. The cut edges should be golden brown and the cloves will be all soft and sweet.
While the garlic and butternut were roasting I put half a cup of fregola sarda in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes and then drained it and placed it a dish to cool, then put it in the fridge. Btw. when you take the fregola out of the fridge and put it in the mixing bowl, don’t use your hands. Those little buggers stick EVERYWHERE on your fingers and they don’t shake off. I had to flick them off with a sharp knife, rolling my eyes as I realized how silly I looked.
Once I washed my hands I went outside. This is a big thing because it’s been raining so much around here that nobody goes outside any more. For this salad I needed fresh herbs and we keep them outside so out I went. Yes, I got wet. Yes, I yelled at the dog for going in the pool – it’s green from all the rain. We’ve had 19 inches of rain in the past week and lots more rain expected this weekend. Yes, it’s been flooding. Yes, I’m still dry. The pool guy was here this morning and he backwashed the pool for 15 minutes. I did it for 20 minutes yesterday. It’s still raining.
Anyway, about the herbs. You could use anything you have handy. I chopped off a pot of chives, pinched some young basil leaves and harvested some flat leaf parsley and ran back into the house, yelling at the dog to get out of the pool but not come in because he was all wet. Thankfully he understands all of that. He sat at the back door and asked for a bone from the freezer. I speak dog so I knew what he wanted. Everyone was happy.
Yes, this is Charlie. He looks full of marrow bone doesn’t he? He sle