THE ABSOLUTE BEST TASTING/PRETTIEST OMLET (From Dad adapted from Joel Saladin who got it from an egg producer's association)
The original recipe is for six eggs, but we like to make them with one or two (depending on appetite)
1. scramble two eggs in a bowl.
2. Add butter to a small, 6 inch, cast iron skillet in medium heat.
3. When the skillet is warmed enough that water sizzles when dripped on it, get the bowl in one hand and some water in the other
4. splash the water on the skillet then put the eggs in immediately (the steam will help cook the eggs without burning them.
5. Let the eggs cook for a few seconds ( often scoot the eggs around a little so that they cook more evenly but maintain the round shape of the skillet.
6. Put cheese and/or anything else you want on one half off the eggs (cheddar cheese and green onions are our favorites)
7. Flip the side of the eggs without cheese over on the half that does.
8. Let cook a little more.
9. Pick up skillet and turn it over flipping the omelet onto your plate.
SMOTHERED OKRA (basic
recipe By Dad)
THE PITCH:
At the risk of sounding like a Cajun, if you think you don’t like Okra, you probably just haven’t had it cooked right. I did not like okra until I discovered smothered okra.
If a person is serious about eating local, on the gulf coast okra needs to be prominent on the menu. Okra thrives in our hot humid climate. Even in the extremely hot days of August when the rest of the garden is toast, the garden will pump out okra.
Cooked this way, it is one of my favorites. Tip of the hat goes to John Folse. Driving home from New Orleans one day, listening to NPR I heard him describe the basic recipe-- tweaked a little below. The way we cook smothered okra varies, based on our mood, what is in season, or what we have in the pantry. Here is the basic recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
1. A couple pounds of fresh okra (I prefer the large longhorn okra)
2. A few fresh tomatoes, can of Ro-Tel tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
3.A couple Jalapeno peppers or Cayenne peppers (optional, to taste)
4. One medium Onion (Part of the basic recipe, but optional)
5. Salt to taste
6. Olive oil (or butter or other preferred way to keep from sticking to pot)
Cut okra into small pieces (if you are pressed for time, cut into smaller pieces at it will cook faster) Put all ingredients in a large pot and cook over low heat for a long time—the slower and longer you cook it, the better it tastes. If you are in a hurry, you could cook this in under 30 minutes. In this case, you will want to watch it closely to make sure it does not stick to you pot and stir frequently. Fast cooking will not work as well with a large amount. The ideal is to cook this when you will be working or relaxing around the house at a slow simmer for hours, stirring occasionally to make sure it is evenly cooked. The end result will be a dark creamy rich mixture that melts in your mouth. It is absolutely heavenly and likely to be a much-discussed item on your menu. We usually make large batches, and eat it with meals over several days, and can and freeze some it for an easy (and tasty) thaw-warm-and-eat side dish. We have not found that freezing or canning affects the taste—still knocks your socks off. The biggest challenge we have found is getting the amount of ground cayenne pepper right. Peppers are very prone to cross pollination and variation in how hot they are, and one jar of Cayenne from the store may be quite different from another. This may be an old wives tale, but they say that slow cooking amplifies the spice in some peppers. Aside from variation in the ground cayenne, with kids running around and various plates spinning it is easy to accidentally put an extra measuring spoon of pepper and that can make a big difference. What I have had to do is, when I am canning or freezing I mark on the label whether it is hot or mild (“extremely
hot”, middle of the road spiciness”, “mild”, “bland”—whatever) and depending on
who we are serving we will mix a bag/jar from a hotter batch with a bag/jar of a
milder batch).
[1] Popular brand of tomatoes
that have some hot peppers in there to add
spice.
The original recipe is for six eggs, but we like to make them with one or two (depending on appetite)
1. scramble two eggs in a bowl.
2. Add butter to a small, 6 inch, cast iron skillet in medium heat.
3. When the skillet is warmed enough that water sizzles when dripped on it, get the bowl in one hand and some water in the other
4. splash the water on the skillet then put the eggs in immediately (the steam will help cook the eggs without burning them.
5. Let the eggs cook for a few seconds ( often scoot the eggs around a little so that they cook more evenly but maintain the round shape of the skillet.
6. Put cheese and/or anything else you want on one half off the eggs (cheddar cheese and green onions are our favorites)
7. Flip the side of the eggs without cheese over on the half that does.
8. Let cook a little more.
9. Pick up skillet and turn it over flipping the omelet onto your plate.
SMOTHERED OKRA (basic
recipe By Dad)
THE PITCH:
At the risk of sounding like a Cajun, if you think you don’t like Okra, you probably just haven’t had it cooked right. I did not like okra until I discovered smothered okra.
If a person is serious about eating local, on the gulf coast okra needs to be prominent on the menu. Okra thrives in our hot humid climate. Even in the extremely hot days of August when the rest of the garden is toast, the garden will pump out okra.
Cooked this way, it is one of my favorites. Tip of the hat goes to John Folse. Driving home from New Orleans one day, listening to NPR I heard him describe the basic recipe-- tweaked a little below. The way we cook smothered okra varies, based on our mood, what is in season, or what we have in the pantry. Here is the basic recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
1. A couple pounds of fresh okra (I prefer the large longhorn okra)
2. A few fresh tomatoes, can of Ro-Tel tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
3.A couple Jalapeno peppers or Cayenne peppers (optional, to taste)
4. One medium Onion (Part of the basic recipe, but optional)
5. Salt to taste
6. Olive oil (or butter or other preferred way to keep from sticking to pot)
Cut okra into small pieces (if you are pressed for time, cut into smaller pieces at it will cook faster) Put all ingredients in a large pot and cook over low heat for a long time—the slower and longer you cook it, the better it tastes. If you are in a hurry, you could cook this in under 30 minutes. In this case, you will want to watch it closely to make sure it does not stick to you pot and stir frequently. Fast cooking will not work as well with a large amount. The ideal is to cook this when you will be working or relaxing around the house at a slow simmer for hours, stirring occasionally to make sure it is evenly cooked. The end result will be a dark creamy rich mixture that melts in your mouth. It is absolutely heavenly and likely to be a much-discussed item on your menu. We usually make large batches, and eat it with meals over several days, and can and freeze some it for an easy (and tasty) thaw-warm-and-eat side dish. We have not found that freezing or canning affects the taste—still knocks your socks off. The biggest challenge we have found is getting the amount of ground cayenne pepper right. Peppers are very prone to cross pollination and variation in how hot they are, and one jar of Cayenne from the store may be quite different from another. This may be an old wives tale, but they say that slow cooking amplifies the spice in some peppers. Aside from variation in the ground cayenne, with kids running around and various plates spinning it is easy to accidentally put an extra measuring spoon of pepper and that can make a big difference. What I have had to do is, when I am canning or freezing I mark on the label whether it is hot or mild (“extremely
hot”, middle of the road spiciness”, “mild”, “bland”—whatever) and depending on
who we are serving we will mix a bag/jar from a hotter batch with a bag/jar of a
milder batch).
[1] Popular brand of tomatoes
that have some hot peppers in there to add
spice.