Pasta Frittata with Roasted Vegetables

Sometimes simple is best.

There are times that I beat myself up over what to make for dinner on the weekends. Should I make something interesting or fancy? Something I've never made before? Something blog-worthy? Needless to say, everything we concoct in our kitchen is not blog-worthy, but we do try. And while I'm usually tinkering with a new recipe at some point during the week, there are plenty of times when I just do not want to think about it. I want to open the fridge and have something jump out at me, screaming, "I AM DINNER!" That never happens, of course, and damn good thing--screaming food would be pretty scary.

See? Scary.

But there was that bag of leftover spaghetti. Definitely not enough for two servings, and not quite enough for one serving (well, one serving for me, ok, but not one serving for Mr Minx). We also had a nearly-full carton of eggs. Didn't I just read something on Facebook about pasta frittatas? Why yes, yes I did. A giant omelette- or quiche-type thing with pasta in it...why the hell not?

I found a recipe by Gabrielle Corcos, hubby of actress Debi Mazar, and her co-star on the show Extra Virgin. It was easy peasy, and included only 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. Other recipes I found called for half a cup...holy moly, that's a lot of money cheese! I decided to use Corcos' recipe as a base, and would add some veggies to it, onions and garlic, maybe green beans, corn, and tomatoes, since those were left from the CSA box. I roasted the green beans and tomatoes with a bit of oil and salt (balsamic vinegar and brown sugar on the tomatoes, too), then changed my mind. The corn went in though, as did onions, garlic, and freshly snipped chives and basil from the garden.

Did I mention that this was my first-ever frittata? Look how pretty it was! Even if the spaghetti does kinda resemble worms....

We also ate those roasted beans and tomatoes, after tossing them together and letting them come to room temperature. Definitely a filling vegetarian meal that didn't miss the meat.

Pasta Frittata, adapted from a recipe by Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kernels from 1 ear of corn
Small handful of basil, julienned
1 tablespoon minced chives
2 cups leftover cooked spaghetti, roughly chopped
5 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your broiler.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until lightly browned, add the garlic, corn, and pasta and stir until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the milk in a large bowl. Add the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan of veg and pasta. Pour the egg mixture over. Cover pan and cook until the edges of the frittata start to brown and the center is only slightly runny, about 12 minutes. Transfer pan to the broiler and cook until the center is set and top is nicely browned.

To serve, slide the frittata onto a cutting board and slice into wedges.

Serves 4.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Sobo Cafe

SoBo Cafe is my new favorite restaurant. Owner Anna Leventis hosted a signing for Baltimore Chef's Table a while back and it was a great success. Not only did we sell out of the book, mostly to SoBo's regular clientele, but we also had a terrific meal. Can't beat that combo!

I can't drink (on anticoagulants--hopefully a temporary situation) so I asked for a mocktail, any flavor. I was rewarded with a virgin strawberry mojito, full of berry and mint flavors, and did not even miss the rum. (Hey, I'm high on life anyway.) Mr Minx and our dining companion MinxBro made do with brewskis.

When I spotted the beet salad with frisee and pistachios on the menu, I knew it had to be mine. Yes, I am boring and always order the beet salad, but I like beets! I also like pistachios. The beets, both red and yellow, were tender and sweet, and worked nicely with the acidy dressing on the bitter greens.

As much as I enjoyed the salad, I wished I had ordered one of the two soups. MinxBro went for the chilled tomatillo soup. Seasoned with a hint of smoky chipotle and garnished with caramelized tomato and lots of cilantro, it was lovely. Rather than being gazpacho-like, the soup was made with a creamy substance (yogurt or cream) which gave it a nice body and smoothness.

Mr Minx chose the corn bisque with saffron butter and chives. Served piping hot, the soup tasted of pure corn and sweet butter. (When my brother and I were kids, we liked nothing more than to devour an entire box of Green Giant frozen niblets in butter sauce.) This soup was creamy and rich without feeling too decadent. Despite the saffron.

MinxBro couldn't resist the SoBo Burger, made with Creekstone Farms beef, applewood smoked bacon, roasted tomatoes, lettuce, cheddar, and house-made mayo on a house-made roll. I forgot to mention the bread we were served (and devoured) while waiting for our appetizers. Like the hamburger roll, it was made in house and it was. So. Good. Crusty without being painful, with a tender and flavorful crumb, I wanted to ask for more, but didn't want to be a pig (the slices were generously-sized).

The burger was pretty perfect, juicy and moist and cooked to the requested medium. Loved the salad and roasted fingerlings on the side instead of the usual boring fries.

Mr Minx and I were both eyeing the Korean chicken fried steak. Korean fried chicken is a thing, so why not Korean chicken fried steak? It was served with kimchi collard greens, soy-garlic mashed potatoes, and a puddle of ssamjang gravy. I don't know why more places don't borrow flavors from Korea. It's not like they're particularly difficult--sugar, soy, garlic, sesame, chiles. The collards were tender and pretty spicy, but the heat was tempered by the ample serving of potatoes.

All of the servings were pretty ample, actually, and quite reasonably priced. I ended up ordering the roasted monkfish, because I hadn't had monkfish in eons. (Yes, I am that old.) The portion was huge, 8 ounces easily, on a mound of vinegary panzanella (bread salad) enhanced with lots of crisp corn kernels and a swath of arugula pesto. There were also some lardons of pancetta. Maybe the fish didn't need all of those things, but I enjoyed the combination and had no trouble polishing it off.

Dessert was tempting, but we passed and instead took our place at the front table to sign autographs. Within a short amount of time, all of SoBo's stock of Baltimore Chef's Table was gone, and we hit the road happy, with full bellies.

A shame the restaurant isn't in our neighborhood; we'd definitely become regulars.





Posted on Minxeats.com.

Blackwater Distilling Tours

Blackwater Distilling, Maryland's oldest craft distillery, is now offering complimentary tours and tastings on weekends!  Fridays through Sundays, from 12-6pm, one can learn about the history of distilling in MD, the science and art of fermentation, and the differences in production processes between different spirits. After taking a tour, there's the reward of tasting Blackwater's multiple gold medal-winning Sloop Betty vodka and Sloop Betty Honey, and get a sneak peek at upcoming rum and rye whiskey products.

Each week there will be an infusion to taste, apple or blueberry pie, peach-ginger, other good stuff... Visitors will learn how to make naturally-flavored spirits and can take home a mason jar and a recipe kit to make their own infusions.

Sound good? Sounds great!

Blackwater Distilling is located at 184 Log Canoe Circle, Stevensville, MD 21666. Heading east on US-50, take the first exit after the Bay Bridge and turn left. Turn left at the next light onto Skipjack Road, and then left onto Log Canoe Circle. Blackwater Distilling is located in the second set of buildings on the right. Free parking is available. Blackwater is also located adjacent to Terrapin Beach Park, full of excellent walking and biking trails and a dog-friendly beach on the Chesapeake.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Corn Crab Cakes

Wee miniature crab cakes.

As I mentioned the other day, we had plenty of crab meat left over from Mr Minx's birthday crabs. Some of it went into a crab salad eaten with nectarine soup, and the rest went into the ubiquitous crab cakes. We also had a leftover ear of bi-color corn. I didn't want to fight over it, so I sliced the kernels off the cob and tossed them in with the crab.

We also had some of my brother-in-law's corn fritters/hush puppies left. Rather than use crackers or bread in the crab cakes, I broke up a fritter, soaked it in a little milk, and added it to the mix. Yes, I am a big fan of recycling. You're not likely to have any giant hush puppies lying around, but cornbread or a corn muffin will do. Just don't use too much--you don't want the breading to be obvious. It should just be part of the "spackle" that holds the shreds of crab together.

Corn and Crab Cakes

1 ear of sweet corn
1/2 lb fresh blue crab meat, picked over for shells
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 egg
1/2 corn muffin, or 2x2" square of corn bread
1 tablespoon half and half
Oil for frying

Cut the kernels of corn off the cob and put into a large bowl. Add the crab meat.

In another bowl, beat together the mayonnaise and the egg, add the Old Bay.

Crumble the corn muffin/bread and soak the crumbs in the half and half. When the crumbs are moist, put them in the bowl with the crab and corn. Add the mayo mixture and fold gently. Refrigerate for at least one hour before forming into large or small cakes.

Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add several cakes at a time to the pan, but do not crowd--you want to be able to get a spatula in there to flip 'em.

Cook cakes until brown on both sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain before serving. Serve with tartar sauce (or not).



Posted on Minxeats.com.