Stracciatella Soup with Brussels Sprouts

The Brussels Sprouts Challenge continues. Stracciatella is an Italian soup that in its most simple form is hot broth into which you stir a mixture of beaten eggs and parmesan cheese. The eggy mixture form shreds or rags, i.e. stracciatella. I've seen riffs on the soup that add spinach or basil or pasta or white beans, or rice, or bread crumbs, or semolina, even tiny meatballs. You get the drift, it is endlessly adaptable. So why not Brussels Sprouts?

I used the sprouts that I had on hand in the fridge which came out to 7 ounces after shredding them on a mandoline. It was probably about 8 ounces before shredding them because I keep the stems long to use as a handle when slicing them on the mandoline and then the stems go into the compost bucket. My homemade stock tends to be a bit concentrated so I added water. Plenty of Italian recipes I read use bouillon cubes instead of stock. Do whatever works for you. I love the flavor and umami of Vietnamese fish sauce (Red Boat is the best IMO), but it's totally optional here. Lot's of recipes added some lemon zest to the egg mixture as well as nutmeg, I thought a hint of cinnamon might be nice instead and I did like it.

2 tablespoons butter
About 1/3 to 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (I didn't actually measure)
7 ounces, more or less, Brussels sprouts sliced 1/8-inch thick on a mandoline
1 quart stock, chicken, meat, or veggie or use instant bouillon
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fish sauce (totally optional but the extra umami is great)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 ounces grated parmesan cheese, plus additional
freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cinnamon, optional
freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until the shallots are soft. Stir in the Brussels sprouts and add the stock, water, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the sprouts become tender or are done to your liking. Taste the broth for salt, remember that the parmesan is salty so don't add too much.

Beat the eggs with a whisk and then whisk in the cheese, nutmeg, and cinnamon if using it.

Bring the soup back up to a near boil. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup while stirring the soup with a whisk. Continue stirring until the eggs are completely cooked. Serve immediately with grinding of black pepper over each bowl, top with additional cheese if desired.

Makes 4 to 6 portions.

Brussels Sprouts Skillet Souffle

The Brussels Sprouts Challenge continues with this souffle that I adapted from a recipe for a skillet souffle that's packed with herbs. It's not a traditional souffle made with a flavored sauce base, it's more of puffy omelet or frittata. It is more simple to make than a true souffle and goes together very quickly. A skillet souffle is very adaptable to a host of flavorings. In this one I've shredded the Brussels sprouts and stirred them into the base raw so that they end up barely cooked and bright green. Dave declared this delicious and I'm sure I'll be making it again.

2 generous tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs
3/8 cup milk
6 large eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 large Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup sliced green onion tops
1/2 cup shredded Comte cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Warm the milk and stir it into the bread crumbs in a large bowl and let them soak until they become pasty, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the egg yolks, salt, and pepper.

Finely slice the Brussels sprouts on a mandoline, about 1/8-inch thick. Add them to the egg yolk mixture along with 1/2 of the cheese, stir to combine thoroughly.

Just before you are ready to cook the souffle, place a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Beat the egg whites until they form very soft peaks. Scoop the whites into the yolk mixture and quickly fold them in. Add the butter to the skillet and allow it to sizzle but not brown. Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Immediately put the skillet on the middle rack of the oven and bake the souffle for 15 to 17 minutes, or until it is puffed and deeply browned.

Serve it right away, spooned from the skillet, or at room temperature cut into wedges.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

Green Chile Pudding Soufflés

I used a recipe for sweet corn pudding soufflés as a template for this preparation. This was a great way to use up a package of the frozen roasted Sonora Anaheim chile peppers from my garden. One thing that is really convenient about pudding souffles as opposed to regular poofy souffles is that most of the preparation can be done in advance. The pudding soufflés are baked twice, the first baking can be done hours in advance of serving them. For the final bake the puddings are removed from the ramekins that they were baked in, placed on a baking sheet or oven proof serving dish, then baked with some cream until they are warm and puffy. These make a great first course or a vegetarian main dish. We enjoyed them as a main dish accompanied by a green salad.

About 14 oz. roasted peeled seeded green Anaheim peppers, chopped
2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons Oaxacan Green cornmeal, or use 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Oregano Indio, or dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
2 1/2 ounces Mount Toro Tomme, finely grated, an aged dry Jack would be a good substitute
1/2 cup heavy cream or Crème fraiche
Smoked paprika

Blend half of the peppers with half of the milk in a blender or with a wand blender to make a smooth puree. Blend in the rest of the milk.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan, add the cornmeal and stir to mix, Allow to cook gently for a few minutes until the cornmeal becomes fragrant. Whisk in the pepper mixture until blended and smooth. Bring to a simmer. Allow the mixture to cook gently, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes, until thickened. Season with the oregano, cumin, and salt.

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining butter. Stir in the egg yolks one at a time. Stir in the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. Stir in the remaining chopped peppers. Transfer to a large bowl and allow the soufflé base to cool a bit.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter 7 or 8 ramekins, be sure to get the rims, and place them in a baking dish.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and gently fold them into the soufflé base. Ladle the mixture into the ramekins, filling them to the rims. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place the dish with the ramekins in the oven. The little soufflés should take about 30 minutes to cook, but check after 20 minutes in case there are hotspots in your oven. When done, the soufflés should be puffed up and brown on top. Immediately remove them from the oven, take them out of the water bath, and allow them to cool. The soufflés will fall. They can be made up to this point several hours in advance of serving.

Ten minutes before the soufflés are to be served, turn them out of the ramekins and place them, right side up, in individual gratin dishes that have been smeared with a spoonful of crème fraiche or use one large baking dish. Top each soufflé with another spoonful of crème fraiche. Put the baking dishes in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the cream is bubbling slightly and the soufflés have swelled up. Remove the soufflés from the oven. If they've been baked on one large dish place each one on a warm serving plate and pour the cream from the baking dish over the soufflés. Shake some smoked paprika over all and serve immediately. 

Note: The soufflés were looking close to finished at 20 minutes but were still quite jiggly. They continued to puff up over the next 10 minutes. At 30 minutes they were still somewhat jiggly but quite brown on top. Perhaps I'll cover them with a sheet of aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes the next time I try the recipe, either that or reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF. They seemed to be baked enough though and once cooled they came out of the ramekins fairly easily, I scooped out the little bit of souffle that stuck to the bottom and placed in the gratin dish and plopped the souffle on top.  It came out great.

20 minutes

25 minutes

30 minutes

The corn soufflé recipe called for 6 ramekins of an unspecified size. I guess my ramekins were too small, I had to enlist a 7th one of a different shape and still had a spoonful of mixture left. My ramekins hold 7 ounces when filled to the rim, that other one holds a bit more and it has a rim with an outward curving lip which made for a different shaped top. I like the effect with the straight rim. Next time I'll probably make eight slightly smaller souffles with the straight sided ramekins.

Broccoli Frittata - Two Ways

Broccoli Frittata

1 pound blanched or raw broccoli side shoots, or heading broccoli cut into florets

olive oil as needed

2.5 oz. sliced pancetta cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup (.5 oz) oven candied cherry tomatoes or chopped dried tomatoes

1/2 large sweet onion cut into slivers

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 large eggs

salt and fresh ground black pepper

4 oz. feta, coarsely crumbled

3 sprigs fresh basil, stems removed and leaves chopped

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Toss the blanched broccoli with some olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 to 17 minutes (I used convection) until the florets are starting to brown but are not dried out. If you are using raw broccoli it will take longer to roast and you should keep an eye on it and remove it from the oven when the florets are starting brown and then seal the hot pan with some foil so that broccoli stems will finish cooking in their own heat. The broccoli stems should still be crisp-tender. When cool enough to handle, chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.

Cook the pancetta with a tablespoon of olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until the pancetta softens and renders some of its fat. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent. Drain the onion-pancetta mixture in a heat proof strainer over a bowl to catch the oil. Clean the skillet and return the captured oil to it and add another tablespoon of olive oil, place the skillet over medium-low heat and allow it to heat up while you assemble the egg mixture.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, remember that the pancetta and feta are a bit salty. Stir in the chopped broccoli, onion-pancetta mixture, feta, and basil. Pour the mixture into the heated skillet spreading the contents evenly in the pan and pressing any protruding bits into the egg mixture so that they don't burn in the oven. Cook until the eggs are set around the edges of the pan and are starting to sizzle just a bit. Put the whole pan into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the frittata is cooked through and the top is starting to brown. I don't like to use convection with the frittata because it seems to brown the edges and top too much before the center is set.

Remove the frittata from the oven and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, this will help to release it more easily from the pan. Serve immediately or at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.

Variation II

Follow the recipe as above but

- substitute smoked bacon for the pancetta

- use plain dried cherry tomatoes instead of oven candied tomatoes

- omit the garlic (if you choose)

- substitute a ball of buffalo mozzarella, cut into cubes, for the feta

- omit the fresh basil and use crumbled dried oregano instead

Eggs and Broccoli for Breakfast

I like to blanch my sprouting broccoli in boiling salted water for about a minute and then shock it in ice water to stop the cooking and keep it bright green. This helps to get rid of any aphids or caterpillars that might be hiding in the buds and leaves. I generally try to blanch the broccoli as soon as possible after harvest and then keep it in the refrigerator to be used at a moments notice. Saturday night I used a big portion of the broccoli that was waiting in the refrigerator in a big pot of Turkey Vegetable Soup. It was quite handy to have more of the blanched broccoli on hand on Sunday morning when I wanted a nice substantial breakfast without a lot of fuss, something to get me through a vigorous hike later that morning. These are not your typical soft scrambled eggs, which I do not like, the eggs are allowed to get a bit brown and crusty and must be scraped off the bottom of the pan so don't use a non-stick pan.

Serves 2

A few spoonfuls of bacon fat if you happen to be cooking a few strips to accompany your eggs, but olive oil or butter works just as well

About 1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet yellow onion

About 1 1/2 cups or more coarsely chopped blanched sprouting broccoli (di Sarno Calabrese for this rendition)

The equivalent of 4 large eggs (5 small from my girls), cracked into a bowl but not scrambled

About 1/2 cup Petit Basque cheese cut into 1/4-inch cubes (or cheese of your choice,  preferably something semi-soft and that melts easily)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat your fat of choice in a medium saute pan (not non-stick) over medium high heat and saute the onion until it starts to brown, add the broccoli and continue to saute the veggies until cooked to your liking, I like to keep the broccoli a bit al dente. Turn the heat down to medium-low and immediately add the eggs to the pan, breaking the yolks but not scrambling them. Let the eggs and broccoli cook together until the eggs become a bit crusty on the bottom, break them up a bit and scrape them off the bottom of the pan with a metal spatula, turning them over to cook the runny parts of the eggs. Once a light crust has formed on the bottom again, add the cubed cheese, break up the mixture a bit more and toss it a bit to cook any runny parts that might be left and to incorporate the melting cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve on warmed plates with a couple of slices of crispy thick cut bacon. Some fruit on the side is nice too.

A couple hours after consuming that you should go for a three hour hike and enjoy the nice weather!

Braised Spigariello Broccoli on Toast with Poached Eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
A pinch of red pepper flakes (Aleppo)
1 pound Spigariello Broccoli shoots,
--- tough stems removed, tender parts, including leaves,
--- chopped into about 1/2-inch pieces
About 3 cups water
4 thick slices country bread,
---brushed with olive oil and toasted
4 eggs
Your very best extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Salt and Fresh ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute a bit, don't allow the garlic to brown. Add the chopped Spigariello to the pan and a pinch of salt. Stir for a couple of minutes and then add the water to the pan. Bring to boil, then turn the heat to low and cover the pan. Braise until the broccoli is tender to your liking, it took about 15 minutes for my taste. There should still be a fair amount of liquid left in the pan.

Meanwhile, bring another pan of water to a strong simmer for poaching the eggs. When the broccoli is done, remove it from the heat and set aside while you poach the eggs. (Sorry, I'm not going to give an egg poaching lesson here).

While the eggs are poaching, place the bread slices in wide shallow soup bowls (I like to warm the bowls in a low oven first). Use a slotted spoon to portion the braised Spigariello onto the bread slices, reserving the braising liquid. When the eggs are done to your liking (I like mine with runny yolks), place one on top of each portion. Pour some braising liquid over each portion, using all of it. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on some good flaky salt and a grind of black pepper. Serve warm.

This made 2 main course portions.