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Simple Supper – Bacon, Spinach and Potato Frittata

Posted on March 10, 2016March 10, 2016 by sheila kiely

Bacon, Spinach and Potato Frittata
This delicious looking dish has been provided by Bord Bia and looks just right in advance of all things Patriotic and Green. We are headed for an exciting and eventful few weeks with St Patrick’s Day followed very quickly by numerous commemoration events all around the country for the 1916 rising (click that events link for info).

For those, like myself, of a limited attention span here’s a link to a ‘blow by blow’ guide to the Easter rising – a bit of a bluffer’s guide for those of us who haven’t studied history.

Okay, enough with the historic and back to the food. Using Irish eggs, bacon and ham, potatoes, cheese, spinach (or you could use kale) I would encourage you to use Irish rapeseed oil in the cooking of this meal to celebrate a simple, delicious, Irish meal with the best of Irish ingredients.
The recipe here says 2 large potatoes peeled and cooked – that would mean boiling until tender – I would cheat on this and use 10 or so baby Irish potatoes, unpeeled, sprinkled with water and microwaved until tender – 6 to 8 minutes – depending on how many you put in the microwave and its wattage so check after 5 minutes. I would use them thickly sliced keeping their skins on for added fibre.

Bacon, Spinach and Potato Frittata

Time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

You will need:
125g Bord Bia Quality Assured bacon lardons, streaky bacon rashers, chopped or cooked ham, chopped
1-2 tablesp. rapeseed or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled, cooked and allowed to cool
150g spinach, washed and roughly torn
10 eggs
85g cheddar cheese, grated
A little salt and black pepper
To Serve: Green salad and wholemeal or crusty bread

Method:
Preheat the grill.
Heat a little oil in a medium, non-stick frying pan (approx. 24 cm). Add the onion and bacon and cook for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Cut the potatoes into cubes about 1 cm thick. Add a little more oil to the pan then add in the potatoes. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir through about half the spinach.
In a bowl beat the eggs, then stir in half the cheese, the rest of the spinach and a little salt and black pepper.
Add the egg mixture to the pan. Move the pan around to let the egg mixture run in under the potatoes and get to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Turn the heat to low, then cook for about 10 minutes until nearly set. Place under a medium grill, and cook for about another 10 minutes until the top is set and golden
Slice into wedges and serve with a green salad and bread.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila

Recipes

Scrambled Eggs ( restaurateurs please STOP microwaving them).

Posted on February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 by sheila kiely

As Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year what would be nicer than to be served breakfast in bed? For me the perfect cooked breakfast would consist of creamy scrambled eggs, crispy rashers, flavoursome black pudding and a succulent grilled tomato with whole-wheat toast. I’d much prefer that to a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers but the eggs would have to be perfectly cooked. Cooked with care, with time, with love. That means NOT microwaved.

Too often lately I’ve experienced freshly cooked breakfasts served in restaurants where the scrambled eggs have been microwaved. HELLO that’s not cooking! Where’s the care in that? I’m paying for the treat of someone doing the cooking for me and they should be experts at whisking up delightfully creamy scrambled eggs. It takes a little more time but just do it. Restaurants, cafes, hotels please STOP microwaving our scrambled eggs. It’s for your own good because we, the customer, simply will not come back. Show us that you care, by whisking and stirring and serve us up a delightfully fluffy, creamy concoction and we’ll return time and time again.

Here’s my recipe for perfect scrambled eggs :

Scrambled Eggs
You will need:
Knob of butter per person
2 scrambled eggs per person
Splash of milk
Good pinch of salt and white or black pepper
Fresh parsley or chives to garnish
Method:
Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the milk, salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium to high heat.
Pour in the egg mixture and using a wooden spoon give it a good stirring. Continue to stir frequently as you do not want any to begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Cook to your desired consistency – I tend to keep them on the wet side of moist as they will continue to cook and dry further when taken off the heat.
Serve topped with a good sprinkling of freshly chopped chives or parsley and a side of whole-wheat toast.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila

Mojo Eggs

Posted on October 10, 2014October 10, 2014 by sheila kiely

Last weekend I made perfect poached eggs.

Just look at that and drool, perfection. I made them for me and for my twin boys and we chased every escaped yolk-drip with whole-wheat brown-bread smothered in Irish butter. I’ve tried cheating and cooking them in the microwave but they’re not the same. It’s worth the effort of pulling out the pan, simmering water with vinegar and vigilantly easing in your egg from a small ramekin into the swirling whirls.

If you’ve nothing else in your fridge have eggs.

Today is World Egg Day, Friday 10th of October, a day to celebrate the ‘humble egg’. Look at the Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) man in this ad, isn’t he making it look very easy and enticing to crack a few Irish Quality Assured eggs today?!.

Bord Bia are sharing recipes today and everyday and here’s their Mojo Eggs picture and recipe. I picked this one out as I really like the sound of the Mojo sauce. There’s a whole lot more going on here besides the egg, you’ve potato cakes and bacon but it’s the egg that sells it to me. I’m going to try the mojo sauce with my poached eggs tomorrow morning – I love the simplicity in the instruction for making it and I’ve highlighted it below – blend til smooth.

Potato Cakes with Bacon, Eggs and Mojo Sauce

Serves: 4

Time: 1 hour

800g floury potatoes, peeled
30g. butter
2 tablesp. milk
4 scallions, finely sliced
2 tablesp. parsley, chopped
2 teasp. whole grain mustard
10 streaky rashers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablesp. flour
1 tablesp. olive oil
4 eggs
1 tablesp. white wine vinegar

Mojo Sauce
20g of coriander
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
½ teasp. of ground cumin
4 tablesp. olive oil
½ tablesp. white wine vinegar
Salt

Method:
Boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water for 15–20 minutes until soft. While the potatoes are cooking put the butter, milk and scallions into a small saucepan and cook until the scallions have softened. Grill 2 of the rashers until crispy, then chop into small pieces. When the potatoes are cooked drain well and mash. Then add in the warmed butter, milk and scallion mixture along with the parsley, mustard and rashers. Season with salt and black pepper. Leave to cool.
When the mixture has cooled shape into 8 equal size rounds, chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Place all Mojo Sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend till smooth.

To poach the eggs: Bring a large pan of water the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and add the white wine vinegar and a little salt. Break two of the eggs into the water and simmer for 3-4 minutes until just cooked but still soft on the inside. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper. Repeat with the other two eggs.
While the eggs are cooking take the potato cakes from the fridge and dust with a little flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the potato cakes in two batches and gently fry for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden.
Meanwhile grill the remaining streaky rashers.
Divide the potato cakes between four warmed plates. Add two rashers, a poached egg, a drizzle of the Mojo Sauce and a green salad.

‘Til next time, Sheila.