Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

hm ■ jjj at w HJH HlJw mJI HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL Another gift from Italy ...^ ... the rrittata One of the wonders of the Internet is that it is a worldwide cookbook. If there’s a recipe you want, or a cooking tradition you want to know about, you’ve got the biggest collection of recipes in the world right at your fingertips and count less articles on cooking techniques, too. For example, I had got ten curious about fritta tas after seeing five or six different recipes rang ing all the way from zuc chini frittata to a frittata O’Brien. A quick trip to Wikipedia got me started. A frittata was identified there as “a type of Italian omelet,” the big difference being that it’s not folded like an Charlotte Perkins Staff writer omelet, but started on the stove top and fin ished in the oven, or sometimes just baked.. Once it’s cooked and you let it set a while, you can cut it into neat wedges. In that respect, it’s something like a crustless quiche, but more substantial. This seemed like a good Sunday morning experiment, so I made one, and, believe me, you can, too. You may even have the ingre dients on hand right now. Here’s my basic blueprint, and you’ll find other approaches below. I’ll assume you’ve got a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Turn on the oven to 450 degrees. Beat up six to eight eggs very well with a whisk. Add 1/4 cup of milk or half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper. Give the cold skillet a thin coating of solid shortening, on the bottom and up the sides. You really don’t warit these eggs sticking to the pan, because later, you’re going to cut the frittata into pie shape wedges. I assembled my ingredients Since this was breakfast cooking, I took the easy way out. I chose mozzarella and tomatoes, diced ham and potatoes. (Tips: I used the prepackaged diced ham, and popped an Idaho potato in the micro wave for five minutes before peeling and dicing it.) I decided, having reading a number of recipes, that I would NOT broil the top as many recipes suggest. Many things are better “browned,” but not eggs. Instead, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees. Never underestimate the beauty, wonder of the 'carrot' Carrots are such a beautiful and won derful vegetable. I think that they do not get the attention they deserve. They are good for snacks with dips, as part of a main meal, and in great desserts. They even make a nice table arrangement. We always grew carrots in our garden and mamma would put them in soups or cooktheminbutterandsugar, Healthy with Betty If you're concerned about your family’s fit ness, Betty Crocker has a lot of answers and resources, as well as recipes, in the Win at Weight Loss Cookbook. According to Dr. Don Hensrud at Mayo Clinic, “This book provides simple, achievable tips for how families can take small steps towards improving eating and physi cal activity patterns for the whole family." It’s under S2O at most bookstores, and can be ordered from Amazon.com or Target.com. Corn chips and... Let’s face it. Corn chips are good all on their own, but with a good dip. they're irresistable. Here are three to try. Knorr Spinach Dip 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach 1 1/2 c. sour cream 1 cup Miracle Whip 1 pkg. Knorr vegetable soup & recipe mix 8 oz. can water chestnuts (opt.) I heated the skillet over moderate heat, poured in the eggs and sprinkled the ham and eggs evenly into the egg mixture. I let it cook slowly with an occasional stirring . When it was mostly set in soft clumps, but still wet, I took the frying pan off the heat, quickly sprinkled about 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella on top, and then put it in the hot oven ... After five minutes, I peeked at it and tested the surface, which seemed firm in the middle. I topped it with slices of red ripe tomato, sprinkled the tomatoes with a little more mozzarella and tucked it back in the oven for another couple of minutes, just to let the tomatoes heat up. Done. All the recipes I found call for letting a frittata “set” for 5 to 10 minutes, which I did while taking the photo you see. (Yes, that’s the very one we had for Sunday breakfast.) After the photography session, I cut my creation into nice pie-shaped wedges. Summing up: It was easy to make, with re heatable leftovers. I’ll use this basic recipe again. For creative cooks, basically anything that would go into a quiche or an omelet will go into a fritttata. I’d say that if you’re cooking for a family, it’s easier than making omelets and “sits around” better than scrambled eggs. Also, if you’ve got a “real man who won’t eat quiche” in your house, the frittata is a lot more egg and a lot less custard ... Here are some more recipes I found. They offer variations in cooking technique. Frittata O'Brien This frittata for two is from the American Egg Board, and like my improvisation, it uses potatoes. 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/2 cups frozen potatoes O’Brien (about 6 to 7 oz.) 1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired 4 eggs 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded Cheddar, American, or Monterey Jack cheese Preheat broiler. Wrap handle of 10-inch omelet pan or skillet with foil to make it ovenproof. In skillet over medium heat, heat butter See FRITTA TA, page iB which she called candied carrots. Carrots are no lon ger a sum mertime vegetable because they are available Jean Rea Cooking with Jean year round in the stores and are not very expensive. They HUP v| ■ v ■ aj. I 3 green onions Thaw and squeeze spinach until dry. In blend er, chop and blfend all ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Stir before serving. Salsa with all that jazz Add some fresh ingredients to your favor ite salsa, including chopped fresh onions and are also very good for us. Next time you are shop ping, pick up a big bag of beautiful carrots and have some fun in the kitchen. Carrot Salad 5 to 6 carrots 1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup salad dressing Clean and scrape the car rots and grate them. Add jfflE jLdiL % W , BSsSivj wmw ' * ! h ■ ';**••••%*. ~ .)■ d, -. . HB, ctSr* A;.' > HK> W ufo- . \ ... Jh i|ar ' ■ jmr Sfiir * *■ l wS^xblß^R > ! v v V" v?.- ‘-V . jr : .• ’-v ></. >v fit, - qSp , . ' r JV JEM W - Jffl jgßr , \ M j ■ * <ww='J|W^. -MBaMllr- 4 Journal/Charlotte Perkins Frittatas can be made with any ingredient normally used with omelets and quiches. This one includes diced potatoes and ham and is topped with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella. raisins, sugar and salad dressing. Mis well and serve. Crushed pineapple may be added as desired. Marinated Carrots 2 1-lb. cans sliced carrots, drained 1 small green pepper, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 10 1/4-oz. can tomato soup ‘ green peppers or black olives. Squeeze in a little lime juice, and it will taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. Seven wonders Here’s a seven-layer Mexican Dip From Kraft, that is great for parties, tailgating or just as a special treat for your family. How can you miss with so many good ingredients? 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened 1 tablespoon. Taco Bell Taco Seasoning Mix 1 cup guacamole 1 cup salsa 1 cup shredded lettuce 1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1/2 cup chopped green onions 2 tablespoon, sliced pitted ripe olives Mix cream cheese and seasoning mix until well blended. Spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish. Layer remaining ingredients over cream cheese mixture; cover. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 ♦ 1/2 cup salad oil 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 teaspoon prepared mus tard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in order listed in a large bowl Stir to mix. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold. f/o/ Yf O/t ///< //// Pick a pear Pears are plentiful now, and in addition to being good to eat, are good for you. If you want to get healthy carbs, pears are low on the glycemic index. Also one fresh pear gives you 10 # # -- percent of your Vitamin C iMr requirement for the day, S and is packed with fiber. The average pear has under 100 calories. Super Foods Dr. Steven Pratt introduced the concept of Super Foods in his 2004 best-selling book, Super Foods Rx. Here's his list of the nutritional powerhouses. How many are in your regular diet? Beans (e.g. lentils, black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans); blueberries, broc coli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, wild salmon, yogurt. Saucy Carrots with Water Chestnuts 1 lb. carrots 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed 1/4 teaspoon ground gin ger See REA, page iB 1B