Cheap Eats - Omelettes like a pro

Ok, we're back to eating good on a budget. One of my favorite "cheap dinners" is an omelette. There is a saying among chefs that cooking eggs is a good test of the skill of a chef. This is because there really isn't much hiding a mistake when cooking an egg. It is a simple process, but if you don't know the technique, or make a mistake, it is going to be very obvious. I love eggs, cook them all the time, and (modestly) am pretty damn good at it. The other nice thing about an omelette is that there are endless combos of ingredients to stuff them with, so it never gets boring. Also, you can usually find a tasty combination of things in your fridge/pantry, so they're even more convenient/inexpensive that way too.

Now, I'm going to do a little photo series on the process of omelette cooking, then explain the steps:


Ok, the first picture is there because I have been admonished for putting unflattering pictures of others, namely my sister and my wife, on the blog without their permission and I figured the only way to make that acceptable was to put up an unflattering picture of myself.....This definitely qualifies. Is it just television cameras that add 10 lbs, or is it point and shoot digitals as well?

The second picture is an example of the ingredients for a two egg omelette. 2 tblsp chopped tomatoes, 2 tblsp scallions, 2 tblsp diced ham, 1 tblsp jalapenos.

The third picture is the proper technique for cooking a perfect omelette. You saute your stuffing ingredients lightly, pour in your eggs, and then pull the cooked egg in towards the center of the pan while tilting the pan so that the liquid egg flows to the outside, and becomes cooked. Doing it this way gives you a evenly cooked omelette, and allows you to have a nice, soft, tender end result.

Finally, a basic recipe

2 eggs
2 tblsp milk
1 tsp hot sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

For any filling you decide on, about 2 tblsp per ingredient, and no more than four ingredients is the right ratio, and always use a plastic/rubber spatula. It's just easier to be gentle with these than it is metal. The exception to my 2 tblsp rule of thumb would be something like spinach. For spinach, you would saute it first, strain it, chop it, and then use the 2 tblsp amount.

1)Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, and seasoning till pale yellow and frothy
2)Melt 1/2 tblsp butter in saute pan over MEDIUM heat, and saute your filling ingredients for 1 minute. If you use a really hot pan, you will end up with a burnt, crispy, untender omelette, or in other words, a failure.
3)Pour egg mixture over filling and use the technique I described in pic #3
4)If using cheese, add 2 tblsp grated cheese just as the egg is finishing cooking before pulling it from the pan.
5)To remove from the pan, pull it to one edge of the saucepan, pull half of the omelette off onto plate, then use the pan to fold the other half over the top.
Your end result should look like this, or thereabout.

Some of my favorite fillings are
1)Ham, Jalapeno, Smoked Cheddar
2)Bacon, Tomato, Green Onion
3)Artichoke, Feta, Red Onion
4)Grilled Chicken, Spinach, Roasted Peppers, Parmesan
5)Squash, Tomato, Red Onion, and Mozzarella (Fresh)

These are just some options, but like I always say, go with your mood, what's in your pantry, or what looks best at the market, and you'll probably be doing ok. For omelettes, simpler is usually better.

As for wines, simple, crisp whites are best. Try Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2008. Good clean, crisp, straight-forward wine.

I leave you with a few egg quotes to enjoy:

“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg.”
- anonymous

“This recipe is certainly silly. It says to separate the eggs, but it doesn’t say how far to separate them.”
- Gracie Allen

“You CAN make an omelette without breaking eggs. It’s just a really bad omelette.”
- Steven Colbert

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.”
- Bernard Meltzer

"The way to become rich is to put all your eggs in one basket, and then WATCH THAT BASKET"

-Andrew Carnegie

Installment two of the dinner on a budget series>>>>DUCK CONFIT!!!!!!!!!

So, I was feeling a little cash poor today, and was thus motivated to continue my little series on how to make great dinners without spending great sums. Today, we are going to transform duck legs (above) into one of the most delicious forms of poultry known to man, duck confit (below). A quick disclaimer, this is not ever going to appear on 30 minute meals, not only because it is beyond Rachel's viewership talent range (that was below the belt, and kind of untrue, because this is actually a very easy dish), but because it is a multi-day process. First we cure the leg (24 hours, but only about 5 minutes of actual work), then we confit the leg (overnight in the oven, but once again, you just pop it in there and go to sleep), then we actually get it ready for eating. So, it takes a little commitment, but oh so worth it in the eating.


First, just to define what we are doing here...the term confit refers to slowly cooking something in (its' own usually) fat. This means, yes, you are going to buy duck fat...however, it is an incredibly useful thing to have around the kitchen, keeps forever, and can be used to make the best roasted potatoes you have ever tasted. I'll give you that recipe at the end of this one....maybe.

And so, without further ado........LA RECIPE
CLASSIC DUCK CONFIT
Stage 1:Curing your duck legs
4 duck legs
3 tblsp sugar
3 tblsp kosher salt
4 juniper berries, coarse ground
1 tblsp black pepper, coarse ground
1 tblsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seed, coarse ground
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tblsp herbes de provence

1)Mix all ingredients together, and thoroughly coat duck legs in the salt mixture.
2)Wad up some aluminum foil and place in bottom of deep tupperware container
3)Place coated duck legs atop foil, cover, and leave in fridge for a minumum of 24 hours and a maximum of 48 hours. Pretty easy so far, right?

Stage 2:confiting your...um, confit?
All you need is your now cured duck legs and a tub of duck fat (roughly 2-3 lbs). Simply place your duck legs in a thick oven proof dish. A cassoulet pot is best, but you can improvise. Then, top with your duck fat, so that the duck will be completely covered once fat melts. Place in the oven at 250 degrees for 6-8 hours (or so). Just check and make sure the duck looks like it's about to fall apart tender and you're good to go. I just put it in around 11pm as I'm getting ready for bed, and take it out when I wake up in the morning. As a side note, some chefs like to put things like garlic or herbs in with the fat at this step....up to you. Once you pull the duck from the oven, leave it in the pot with the fat and refridgerate. If you try to mess with the duck at this point, it will more than likely just fall apart.

Stage 3:Getting it ready to eat.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place confit skin side down in a nice, thick saute pan. Put duck in oven, and leave it there until the skin has rendered out and is nice, golden, and crispy.

My favorite way to serve it is either
1)atop a nice simple salad of arugula, maybe with some grapes, and pistachios
OR
2)atop a nice simple white bean stew (white beans, mirepoix, chicken stock, and a few fresh herbs). This would be pretty close to the traditional french way.

As far as wines go, I like a nice, fairly fruity red with this one....it's probably one of the few things that i'll recommend a pinot noir with. The SLIGHT gaminess of the duck is paired nicely with a little sweet fruit.

Enjoy.

Oh, I almost forgot. Once you have crisped up and eaten your confit, what to do with all that duck fat. Strain it, and it will keep in the fridge for over 6 months. Saute veggies in it. Make a warm vinaigrette with it instead of olive oil. Or roast potatoes in it, they will be the best potatoes you have ever eaten.

2 lbs idaho potatoes, cut into one inch cubes
1/8 cup duck fat, room temp
1 tblsp fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the ingredients together and let sit on counter for 15 minutes. Then place in 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. Then, go hide somewhere, and eat all 2 lbs of potatoes by yourself. Just kidding.........maybe.

NEW FEATURE - How to make a great meal on a tight budget -------- Installment 1

Ok, with just about the wholeworld suffering from a tightening of the economic belt, I thought it might be a good idea to start highlighting great ways to use inexpensive ingredients to make delicious dinners. I definitely am a fan of the "economy cuts of meat", as well as some of the less sexy seafood options (Tuna and Crab are great, but so are skate wing and mussels). Usually these items have great flavor, but may take a little more work, either on the prep side, or on the length of cooking. Totally worth it.

Now on to installment one ---------------- LES MOULES
I love mussels. My wife loves them even more. When I make them the Nick to Danielle consumption ratio is generally 1 to 2, if I'm being generous. No matter, they are cheap and easy to get, so I just make lots. I'll include my 3 favorite mussel preparations here so that you have some options, but if you take the basic techniques to cooking mussels, there are endless flavor combinations that you can create. They work in french, italian, thai, japanese, american, and many other flavor profiles, so play around.

I usually use PEI mussels because they are nice and sweet, and readily available, but use whatever mussel looks, and smells the freshest and you'll be doing well.

Before cooking mussels, there are a few steps we must go through to get them ready. First, cover them in very cold, salted water for 5-10 minutes. This is called purging them, and without getting into too much detail, it will guarantee you don't have any grit or graininess in your mussel or sauce. You don't want to skip this step, trust me. Second, we must "DEBEARD" them. Not every mussel, but most will have a small, wispy, twine looking thing sticking out of their shell about half way up. Simply hold the mussel securely, and pull up and away to remove this. It may take a little tugging, but usually comes fairly easily. Lastly, look through your mussels. If any are open, and don't close up after being handled, discard them. They have already passed from this mortal existance, and as Alton would say, are no longer "good eats".

The classic - Mussels in white wine sauce
1 lb mussels
1 lg shallot, sliced
2 cloves, garlic, sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 head italian parsley, chopped, reserve a tblsp or so to garnish
1 thai chile, diced, this is optional, and really not classic, but I like a little heat
6 oz white wine, I prefer it to be a drier white, but whatever you have'll probably work
2 1/2 tblsp butter, mmmmmmm butter
1 large roma tomato, diced
4-5 large basil leaves, chopped rough
S + P to taste

1)Melt 1 tblsp of the butter over med-high heat, add shallot, garlic, chile, and thyme and saute until shallot is translucent.
2)Add mussels, add toss to coat with butter. Saute 30 seconds.
3)Add remaining ingredients, except butter and basil, cover pan and let simmer for 5 minutes (ish), check and see if most of the mussels are open. This can be 2 minutes, it can b 8.
4)Uncover pot, and add butter and basil. Swirl in pan, moving constantly, so that reduced wine and butter emulsify. Season with salt and pepper, and serve

I serve this a number of different ways: over a soft polenta with parmesan cheese, over crispy oven "fries", over fresh pasta, or most often, and most simply, over grilled crusty ciabatta. It's delicious with all of them. If you want to make moules mariniere, simply add some home made pasta sauce to this recipe when you add the butter, and voila!!!

Wine Pick - I really like an albarino with my mussels. The minerality of both go really well together. A good, easy to find one is burgans, but there are a lot out there.

#2 Chilled Mussel Salad
I really like this dish for a summer dinner, or a picnic, or dining on the patio, or whenever really.

1 lb mussels, steamed in salt water for 5 minutes, or until opened, then chilled
6 cloves roasted garlic, (to roast garlic, simply cut the top of the heads of garlic off, cover in oil, cover container in foil, and bake @ 225F for 90 minutes) I always keep some around, it's good in just about everything
3 oz mayonaisse, I would say make your own aioli, but that's another post
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 carrot, grated
1/4 english cucumber, julienned (cut into thin strips)
1/2 red onion, shaved super thin
1 thai chile, sliced thin
2 strips of bacon, cooked super crispy, & crumbled
1/4 head fennel, shaved thin
1 tblsp basil, chopped
1 tblsp italian parsley, chopped
S + P to taste

1)combine zest, juice, carrot, cucumber, onion, chile, and fennel in a bowl. Season lightly, and marinate for 30 minutes.
2)Mash garlic cloves into a paste, and combine mayo, mussels, and bacon with it
3)Drain excess liquid from veggies, leave just a little bit for flavor, but not too much or the mayo binding will become runny, and mix veggies with mussel mixture and herbs
4)Serve with crusty grilled ciabatta or the bread of your choice

Wine Pick - Sancerre? I think it's a perfect pairing, but there are a lot of different ways to go on this one. I, personally, don't love chardonnay, but it would work here. A crisp SB. A Verdejo. Ahhh, choices.

#3 Beer Braised Mussels
Braised is a bit of a misnomer, since they still don't cook for very long, but I think it sounds more appetizing than "Beer Simmered", so we're going with it

1 lb Mussels
1 good beer, I use IPA or brown ale. If you cook with pabst, it'll taste like it
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp molasses
1 jalapeno, diced
1 tblsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
2 1/2 tblsp butter
juice and zest of 1 lemon
S + P to taste

1)Melt 1 tblsp of the butter over med-high heat, and add red onion, garlic, jalapeno, & rosemary and saute until onions start to color. Add lemon juice and molasses and cook 30 seconds.
2)Add beer, and reduce by 1/3. Add mussels and don't cover. Simmer for 5 minutes
3)Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper.

I prefer this over mashed potatoes, or oven fries, or just with a crusty piece of bread.

Wine Pick - I would probably drink a beer with this one, but if I was going for a wine, probably a juicy red, zin or primitivo, or something in that vein.

ENJOY, and let me know what you think.