Ramen

Yes, I said Ramen. The $0.15 pack of noodles that somebody in your dorm ate way too much of your freshman year. The salt bomb. Nothing redeeming about this stuff, right?

That's what I thought until I went to China and found aisle of this stuff in every grocery store. Then I realized what a variety of flavors can be found, and what can be done with it. Think of the advantages: it's fast, it's preseasoned and in consideration of today's economy, it's cheap. Go to your local Asian food store and you will find an enormous variety of flavors. If the ingredients aren't translated and you're concerned about finding vegetarian varieties, steer away from packages with pictures of meat on the front. And if you have a friend who speaks Mandarin, Japanese or Korean, don't be afraid to ask for help. Of course, regular Top Ramen won't hurt you.

Anyways, start with your average salty noodle pack, and see what vegetables you have on hand. Carrots are always good, so are greens, I also like mushrooms. Sticking with the cheap theme, I like eggs for protein, but tofu is also tasty and cheap, or if you have leftover chicken that isn't strongly seasoned, that can be thrown in as well.

Vegetable Ramen
1 pack ramen
1 large carrot, or handful small carrots, diced
2 chard leaves, chopped
2 eggs

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add seasoning packet and carrots and simmer, covered, for 3 to 5 min. Add noodles and greens, and cook, covered, according to package directions. When 1 minute remains on timer, crack the eggs and drop into the soup. Stir with a chopstick or fork. When noodles are cooked and eggs are set, soup is done.

Serves 2.

Lazy Leftovers

Sometimes, even I get my fill of my own cooking. Certain recipes can make more than I realize, and after eating the same thing for 4 meals, I'm ready for a change. I find that cooked veggies do really well when turned into a frittata. They also taste great in Spanish style tortillas, which are a little more work, but worth it, and in quiches, which require pie crust.

For this recipe, since I didn't use any herbs or spices with my roasted turnips earlier this week, I decided to throw in Swiss cheese. If you do use distinctive spices associated with a particular cuisine, or Italian, try and pair with an appropriate cheese.

I threw some frozen roasted potatoes in the oven with my frittatas, because potatoes and eggs make me think breakfast. Also, I was feeling lazy, and didn't feel like dirtying my knife and cutting board with cutting my own potatoes.



Roasted Vegetable Frittata

2 cups roasted vegetables
1-2 oz grated swiss cheese
3 lrg or 4 med eggs
salt & pepper
butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease 2 ramekins with butter. Divide leftover vegetables between ramekins, and top with cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, and pour over vegetables and cheese, not quite coming to the brim. Place on cookie sheet or over tin foil, and bake for 25 min or until center is set.

Serves 2.

Wednesday Chef

I'll confess, I came across the previous recipe thanks to the Wednesday Chef. I love checking out her blog for analysis of NYTimes recipes and ideas for how to use seasonal produce. Unfortunately, as she lives in NYC, her produce tends to come into season just a little after mine. But, checking out her archives is always an adventure.

Another one of my perennial favorites that I found on her website is Regina Schrambling's Collard Squares. When I want to take more than 15 minutes to simply sautee my greens, I make a version of this. The collards aren't bitter, caramelized onions provide sweetness, and the addition of eggs and cheese make this almost an entire meal in one dish. I love this with a side of cornbread to make it feel just a little bit more Southern.

Like most of my recipes, play with the proportions, substitute the Cheddar with Swiss or Mozzarella, portabellos or cremini for shiitakis. Even the collards can be substituted with some other bitter greens, like mustard or turnip tops. Heck, if you're a mushroom-phobe, substitute ham. And increase all ingredients by 50% and baked in a 9x13 pan for a larger crowd.

Collard Squares
1 large bunch collards, washed thoroughly, destemmed and coarsely shredded
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb shiitakes, destemmed and diced (dried and rehydrated shiitakes do great in this recipe)
1/2 tsp soy sauce
4 large eggs
2 oz shredded cheddar
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Place collards, pepper and pinch of salt in a large pot with water to cover. Simmer covered for 20 min, then drain.

While collards are simmering, heat butter in the bottom of a skillet. Sautee onions and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened. Add mushrooms and soy sauce, sautee for an additional 5-7 minutes before removing from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 inch casserole dish (I do like to use butter for this).

Combine cooked vegetables in a bowl (I use the empty pot when I don't want to wash more dishes) and add rest of the ingredients, mixing until everything is well combined. Pour into casserole and bake for 20 min.

Serves 4