Over the top veggie omelet

These veggies all skew towards the juicy, savory side, and the result is a hearty, satisfying omelet.

Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  5 minutes
Yield: 1 omelet

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup onion, 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup green bell pepper, 1/4 inch dice
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
2 eggs
water
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 tomatillo, 1/4 inch dice (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 inch dice, drained
Salt

Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet or omelet pan and cook the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While these vegetables are cooking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in a tablespoon of water.

When the cooked vegetables are ready, remove to a dish, and keep the skillet over the heat.  Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and allow to cook without stirring for two minutes, or until the eggs are just solid, loosening around the edges with your spatula. Arrange the mozzarella in a thin layer across one half of the omelet.  Top the cheese with the diced tomatillo and tomato, followed by the cooked veggies.  Using a spatula, gently fold the opposing side over the filling, and allow to cook for a minute.  Slide or lift your omelet onto a serving plate, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now engage in the time-honored tradition of assembling a bite with the perfect combination of ingredients.  When you accomplish this feat, close your eyes and enjoy the flavor.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Radicchio Minestrone

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick










In this simple soup, sweet tomato pairs with bitter radicchio for flavor fireworks.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Serves:  4

INGREDIENTS
3 strips bacon
1 small onion, 1/4 inch dice
1 jalapeno or other hot pepper, cleaned of membrane and seeds, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3-4 cups coarsely chopped radicchio
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup marinara sauce
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1-2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Shredded Parmesan for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Cook the bacon to your liking in the bottom of a stock pot over medium heat.  Remove bacon to drain, and pour off most of the bacon fat.  Add a little olive oil, and cook the onion and jalapeno for 5 minutes, stirring, or until onion is tender and turning tan.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add the stock, radicchio, tomato, marinara, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Distribute to serving bowls, sprinkling with crumbled bacon and Parmesan.

Variation:  If you're using vegetable stock, just omit the bacon for a vegetarian dish.  And in the other, non-vegetarian direction, the addition of cooked Italian sausage instead of, or even in addition to, the bacon adds flavor and richness.

Whole Wheat Rotelle with Swiss Chard & Sausage

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick










The last of the season's tomato & spicy basil marry perfectly with earthy chard.  Omit the sausage for a vegetarian dish.  I suggest rotelle or another similarly shaped pasta because when cooked the noodles balance the shape and size of the other ingredients. 

Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Serves:  4-6

INGREDIENTS
1 lb sweet Italian sausage meat
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1 bunch Swiss chard, cleaned, stems separated from leaves and both coarsely chopped
1 medium size tomato, 1/2 inch dice
2 cups fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 lb whole wheat rotelle, or your favorite pasta shape
Shredded Parmesan
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Heat the water for the pasta.

While water is heating, cook the sausage meat with the garlic, the jalapeno (if using), and the thyme in a large skillet or saute pan, stirring, for 3 minutes.  If sausage is lean (like Powisset sausage!) add a little olive oil to facilitate cooking.  Add the chard stems and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the sausage is done.  Add the chard leaves and the tomato, cover, and cook for 2 minutes or until the leaves are wilted.  Remove from heat.

Cook the pasta to your liking, drain, and return to the cooking pot.  Scrape the chard mixture onto the pasta, along with the basil, and toss.  Serve right from the pot (if it's a weeknight) or transfer to an elegant serving dish (weekend).  Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

WINE
Weeknight :  A good Chianti.  Weekend :  Rosso di Montacino.  Special Occasion:  Brunello di Montalcino.

Jalapeno Beet Greens

Seasonal ingredients enable unusual - and delicious - combinations. Here, sweet caramelized onions and beet greens marry beautifully with the mild heat of jalapeno peppers.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2-4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, 1/4 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
1 bunch beet greens, cleaned, stems separated and diced, leaves coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
4-5 leaves fresh sage, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and membranes removed, minced
1 sprig rosemary leaves (about 2 teaspoons fresh), minced
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat and saute the onions and beet stems for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the jalapeno, rosemary and sage. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring. Add the beet greens, stir and cover, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times, or until the greens are wilted and stems are tender. Serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Jalapeno Poppers

Photo:
Tod Dimmick








All right, I'll admit that these are over-the-top indulgent. After picking gorgeous jalapeno peppers at the farm today I couldn't resist posting this classic: crisp & crunchy on the outside, spicy-juicy on the inside. A few of these could be called an entree.

Prep time: 40 Min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 20-25 poppers

Ingredients:
1 pkg (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
1 pkg (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
4 TB crumbled bacon
20-25 jalapeno peppers
1 cup milk
1 cup flour (whole wheat or white)
1 cup bread crumbs (whole wheat or white)
Oil for frying

Soften the cream cheese by microwaving for 30 seconds in a large bowl. Stir in the cheddar cheese and bacon, and set aside.

Wash and dry the peppers. Using a sharp paring knife, slice each pepper in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the seeds and membranes, and discard (these are the truly hot parts of the pepper!). As you work, try to keep the matching pepper halves next to each other. Wash your hands. Mound a spoonful of the cheese mixture into one half of the pepper, and re-cap with the other half (there should be enough filling to glue the two halves together).

Arrange the pepper assembly line with a bowl containing the milk, a bowl containing the flour, and a bowl containing the bread crumbs. Dip each pepper in milk, then in flour, then set aside to dry for a minute while you do the rest. Then take each pepper and dip again in the milk, and roll in the breadcrumbs to completely coat (You can repeat this step more than once for thicker breading). Heat oil in a saucepan or deep fryer to 350F, and cook peppers for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and serve. Delicious!

Variation: Omit the bacon, add in chives or scallions to the filling.

Note: After stuffing hot peppers, wash your hands thoroughly to remove the Capsaicin – the compound that gives peppers their heat. I wash my hands 2-3 times just to be sure. While working, be careful about rubbing your eyes etc because that hot stuff is painful!

Adapted from my recipe for the Phantom Gourmet.