Gastroanthropology

British Spring

Yup. The picture above pretty much sums it up. Cold, wet and gloomy. But spring in Britain is more than just crap weather.

Spring in Britain means the baby lambs are in need of shepherding after a day of grazing...

Some need a little special attention...

When you live in a country where you can't expect the sun, you've just got to do what you gotta do and move on. Protect your plants with little mini-greenhouses...

And reap the rewards of the British Spring - asparagus, peas, rhubarb...

And ramsons (a.k.a. wild garlic shoots)...

Ramsons are absolutely delicious and like the sun in Britain, go as quickly as they come. They have a smooth, mellow garlic flavor and pair nicely with all the British spring populars - like asparagus and peas. Perfect for this year's Springtime Frittata.

RAMSONS, ASPARAGUS, SPRING PEA + MASCARPONE FRITTATA

• 1 Tbs butter
• 6 c loosely packed, chopped ramsons (could substitute ramps)
• 1 c fresh shelled peas
• 12 -15 tender asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 c mascarpone cheese

METHOD

Preheat broiler in oven to medium. Whisk eggs and egg whites together with salt and pepper, set aside. Melt butter in a large non-stick, oven-safe pan. Add ramsons and saute over medium-high heat. Once wilted, drain any excess liquid. Add peas and asparagus pieces. Cook for 1 minute and reduce heat. Make sure that everything is spread evenly about the pan. Pour egg mixture over top. Leave on low heat till the bottom and sides set. As this is happening, add small dollops of mascarpone to the eggs. Once the sides are set, place in the oven under the broiler till the top sets and browns gently. Remove from oven. Let sit for a few minutes and then remove from pan and serve. Can be refrigerated and served cold, but I prefer it warm. 

With a great, non-stick pan (my eight-year-old All Clad non-stick, which has traveled thousands of miles and lived in many countries still does the trick). You can loosen the frittata with a flexible rubber spatula and slip it out of the pan. Or you could flip it out, but I like to see the bits of mascarpone. You could also use a mild cheddar, but I wouldn't use a stronger cheese as it will over power the delicate flavors of the springtime greens. 

And, on those cold rainy spring days, sometimes you need a treat with a little zest that puts a zing in your step. Like lemon poppy seed cake...

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

• 6 oz unsalted butter, room temp
• 2/3 c sugar, divided equally into two parts
• 4 eggs separated
• 2/3 c yogurt (full-fat) plain or lemon flavored 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 c AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 c poppy seeds
• zest of 3 lemons

METHOD

Zest three lemons and juice one to get 2 Tbs lemon juice. Sift together drys and add poppy seeds and lemon zest - set aside. Separate eggs and leave whites aside. Combine the yolks in a different bowl with the yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice - set aside. Beat or paddle the butter with half (1/3 c) of the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat on low and alternate adding the yolk mixture and the drys mixture. Once combined, do not over beat - set aside. Clean your beaters or change to a whisk attachment on your KitchenAid (this is when having an extra bowl makes life so much easier!). Beat egg whites to medium peaks, sprinkling in the remaining sugar once the eggs get really frothy. Sacrifice some of the whipped whites into the yolk/drys mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the rest. Bake at 350F till cooked through and dark golden brown. I made 2 small rounds in paper molds (25-30min), but this will make one 9-inch cake (40-45min).

This cake must sit for a day. Once its cooled wrap it up in plastic and set aside in the fridge. Don't look at it or attempt to eat it for 24 hours. Not sure what it is but a good cake out of the oven turns into something amazing if you wait. You can have it plain or with a little bit of vanilla buttercream. I just beat room temp butter till its pale and then sprinkle powdered sugar (to taste) and a bit of vanilla bean and splash of vanilla extract. To frost - trim any dome off the top. Cut the top half off the cake. Frost the middle, put the top half back on, and frost the top and sides. 

Jersey Royal Potato Salad + A Plenty Cookbook Give-Away

I stumbled upon Ottolenghi soon after I arrived to London when I was discovering all of its different neighborhoods. All of their locations are a tube ride and walk away so I don't frequent it as much as I'd like, but now I have Plenty, a delicious compilation of Ottolenghi's best dishes, and all vegetarian to boot. I'm not a veggie by any means, but realize that meat does not a meal make, and its better for my body and the planet to limit meat intake.

Plenty is exactly what this book is. Plenty of recipes, pictures, and ideas for what to do with your CSA. I barely flipped through the first few pages when I came across a recipe for a warm potato salad with semi-soft quail's eggs. Basically, as soon as you take your cooked Jersey Royals (or New Potato) out of their scalding hot water, you slice them in half or quarters. Toss with a freshly made pesto, petit pois peas and finely shredded mint. Add halved semi-soft boiled quail's eggs. As Ottolenghi says, this is a very posh version of an ordinary spud salad. 

I know this cookbook isn't as easy to get in the States just yet, but if you leave a comment you may just win one! This contest is open to everyone and the winner will be chosen at random in two weeks, May 18th - This contest is now closed. The winner is Lisa of dandysugar!

The Incredible Edible Egg

  Egg and Soldiers 

When you know its going to be a long day an egg is just what you need for breakfast. It keeps you going all day long till dinner. My new favorite breakfast is dark rye nordic bread (working on perfecting my bread recipe, which hopefully I will be able to post soon) toasted and lightly buttered, topped with an egg over easy or poached, and wilted greens on the side. Everything sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. It's been known to make an appearance at dinner too.

There is a huge demand for eggs and that is no surprise. Let's see...how many ways can you enjoy an egg? Boiled - soft, medium, or hard. Scrambled - wet or dry. Fried - sunnyside up, or over hard, medium, or easy. Poached. Omelet. Frittata. Egg Salad. It's the virtually silent, but necessary, ingredient in so many baked goods. It's the key ingredient in souffles and custards. It also makes a fabulously rich bread, like brioche. An egg is really a thing where you are only limited by your imagination. Most eggs commercially bought are laid by hens. We are all aware of chickens living horrible existences in factory farming. Remember that many commercially sold eggs come from caged hens. Many grocery stores in the United Kingdom have made the commitment to only sell eggs from free-range birds, but if you can, go further and buy organic eggs. In Europe, eggs are sold at room temperature. If you have fresh eggs and plan to use them within a few days it is safe to leave them in a cool room. Otherwise, they should be refrigerated and consumed within a few weeks. 

While fresh hen eggs are great, my new found love is the duck egg. These ducks (Muscovy, Mallard, Indian Runner and Khaki Campbell) are enjoying their daily swim at the pond at a local London farm. They spend daylight hours here and at night are brought inside.

It's still pretty cold out so egg production isn't very high. The warmer the weather, the more eggs are laid. Most duck egg shells are white with tinges of blue or green. Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs. They are also tastier. Duck egg yolks are higher in fat which yields a super rich and more flavorful egg. Imagine a bit of melted butter mixed into the yolk. Duck eggs are also higher in protein. When baking with duck eggs, a richer, fluffier product is often created. It's great to substitute duck eggs for chicken eggs in cakes. As a general rule of thumb, substitute one for one (large chicken egg for duck egg), even if the duck eggs tend to be a bit larger.  

If you can, try a goose egg sometime. This is the first goose egg of the season at the farm (the large white one at the top). Geese only lay eggs from late winter to summer, and from 30 to 50 a year, depending on the breed and their age.

This Chinese Crested Goose laid that egg!

In the UK duck eggs are often found at farmers markets and sold at the Waitrose grocery chain.

Springtime Frittata

Two weekends ago London thawed into Spring. We had plans to visit one of London's many museums but when the sun is out in London all plans must be immediately dropped. You never know when it might return. Instead of staying indoors we walked all over town from park to park. The trees were in bloom and the veggie and flower patchers were budding.

When the sun went down and the chill returned we headed home. The last thing I wanted to do on Sunday night, after a relaxing weekend was shop and cook for dinner. After a quick inventory of the fridge, Mr. Gastroanthropologist suggested a frittata. Simple and springy like the weather. A perfect meal to end the weekend.   

SRINGTIME FRITTATA

• olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, small dice 
• 1 purple or yellow onion, small dice 
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (more or less depending on your spicy-ness level)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or microplaned 
• 1 1/2 cup mushrooms, torn or chopped 
• 1 heaping cup potato, cooked and chopped (left-over baked or roasted potato works great, or just pop a few little potatoes in the microwave)
• 1/2 c fresh peas (frozen OK) 
• 1/4 c chopped flat-leaf parsley 
• 9 medium eggs, lightly beaten** 
• salt and pepper 
• 1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar 

** 7 - 8 large eggs, or add an extra egg or two and remove a few of the yolks for more egg whites. You just need enough egg to cover the vegetables.

This recipe makes four dinner size portions. Adjust the vegetables with what you have on hand. Try to use a variety of colors. 

METHOD

In a large, non-stick, oven-safe pan, sweat bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno in olive oil. 

 
Add garlic. A microplane works great for garlic. If you have a microplane that you use for citrus zest for pastries I suggest purchasing two - one for sweet, one for savory. Once garlic is in, cook for another minute and then add all other vegetables. Reserve a bit of chopped parsley to sprinkle on top when the frittata is finished. Season mixture with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, crack and beat eggs - season the eggs with salt and pepper. Cook vegetables for 2-3 minutes and then pour beaten eggs over top. Make sure the egg is spread evenly throughout the pan. If you are nervous about your non-stick pan (you'll be flipping this out) add a bit more olive oil to the pan before you pour the egg.

 

 
Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. I had sliced cheese so I just tore into bits. Once the egg is in the pan do not stir. Let sit on medium to low heat for about 3 minutes. When the sides begin to set, place in an oven with the broiler on medium. Cook in oven for about 6-7 minutes or until egg is set in the middle. You should be able to tell if the egg is set by jiggling the pan a little. Turn broiler on high for the last minute to brown the top. Do not overcook - you want to eggs to still be moist! 

 

Once removed from the oven, free all the sides with a flexible rubber spatula. Place a large plate a thin, but sturdy cutting board. Use your muscles and flip the pan over so the frittata flips out onto the plate or board. The handle will be screaming hot so take care not to burn yourself. Place your serving dish over the frittata and flip back so the broiled, top-end, is facing up. Sprinkle with reserved chopped parsley. If your not comfortable with the flip and flip, then cut the frittata into servings in the pan and remove like pieces of a pie. Use a wooden tool so not to scratch your non-stick.

We ate about half for dinner. The other half was refrigerated and tasted almost better served cold the next day.