KerriansKitchen

KNR, p. 54 “Kerrian’s Summer Quiche.”

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We had a bumper crop of tomatoes in July. We gave away a couple of bushels to the neighbors, but they stopped answering their doorbells. We were getting buried under Beefsteaks, so the mailman got a bag or two. Ditto the guys down at the precinct.

Sheila canned, sliced, stewed, and diced tomatoes for weeks. We were running out of ways to serve up the big guys and still they kept popping off the vines. That is, up until my buddy across the street harvested his zucchini. We traded zucchini for tomatoes and gave him Sheila’s recipe for Summer Quiche. Great deal! She made a dozen pies and froze them for later. I used to be a meat and potatoes guy, but after Jamaica, I’ll eat almost anything. And, to my surprise, nobody ever died from eating quiche. Or a salad.

Summer Quiche

Charlie & Sheila Kerrian
easy quiche with summer veggies
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 9" Deep-dish pie shell
  • 1 stick margarine
  • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
  • 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (chopped broccoli crowns also work well)
  • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
  • 2 jumbo eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups low skim, shredded mozzarella
  • 1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar
  • 2 ripe, sliced medium tomatoes

Instructions
 

  • Pre-bake deep-dish pie shell for 6-8 minutes in 350 oven. Remove.
  • Melt margarine in large non-stick frying pan. Add onion powder and zucchini, sauté 10 minutes, stirring until zucchini is heated through.
  • Add parsley, oregano, and basil, stir briefly. Add garlic powder and salt to taste. Saute briefly, take off heat.
  • In medium bowl, mix eggs, mozzarella and sharp cheddar.
  • Add to mixture in pan, heat for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring until well blended.
  • Pour into deep-dish pie shell. Arrange tomato slices on top.
  • Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 until firm in center and cheese is light golden brown on top.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve with salad.
Keyword Cheese, Vegetable

 

 

 

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KNR, p. 325 “Bacon & Egg Cheese Grits Muffins”

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Sheila and I usually stay in Bed & Breakfast places during our travels, but sometimes local diners are perfect when we get on the road early. In the South (USA) grits is a staple with eggs and bacon at breakfast, whether you order it or not. It is made from dried, ground corn, and cooked in water or milk to create a type of porridge. Lots of people eat it with red-eye gravy or butter to enhance the flavor, but if cooked properly, it can be creamy (akin to mashed potatoes) and flavorful all on its own. If it’s “like sand” and “tasteless” at your restaurant, trust me, they didn’t make it correctly. At all.

This recipe is a recreation of a dish we tried at a Southern diner combining grits, bacon, and eggs (and other yummy ingredients) into muffin form. It looks complicated, but you’re basically cooking creamy grits and adding the rest of the ingredients to the grits, then cooking it all together in muffin form. It has the texture of a creamy corn muffin. Wow, do they smell terrific!

 

Bacon & Egg Cheese Grits Muffins

Sheila and Charlie Kerrian
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, brunch
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Non-stick jumbo muffin pan
  • 2-3 quart sauce pan
  • shallow pan of water for oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup half & half
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup uncooked grits
  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 4 extra large eggs
  • 5 large bacon strips, well cooked
  • 3 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons green onion, sliced thin
  • 2 Tablespoons red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 1 small tomato, sliced
  • 1 pinch sea salt for garnish
  • 1 Tablespoon (each) butter and flour for muffin tin prep

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Bring to boil water, milk, chicken broth, half & half, and sea salt in 2-3 quart pot.
  • Add grits, reduce heat to low and stir frequently until thick and creamy, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir in until melted and mixed.
  • Meanwhile, cook bacon to taste, drain and let cool. Chop into 1/4 inch bits and set aside.
  • Dice cooked ham and set aside. Slice green onion, chop red bell pepper, and set aside.
  • In large bowl lightly beat eggs with fork. Mix in bacon, ham, green onion, red bell pepper until well mixed. Add egg mixture to the grits and stir until evenly mixed.
  • Prep the muffin tin by coating each cup with butter. Lightly dust the buttered cups evenly with flour. This helps release the otherwise sticky muffins easily after baking and cooling.
  • Evenly divide the mixture among the 6 muffin spaces – they will be nearly full. Bake for 30 minutes on center shelf, until lightly browned.
  • Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let sit on cooling rack for a few minutes, then remove the muffins from the tin and serve warm. Sliced tomatoes with sea salt sprinkled on top is a pleasant side to the muffins.

Notes

Place a pan of water (a cup or two is fine) on lower oven shelf to keep the muffins moist and ease their removal after baking and cooling..

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KNR, p. 70 “Irish Peasant Soup”

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During our last trip to Ireland, Sheila and I had lunch in many different restaurants, in both big cities and small villages throughout the country. We were surprised to see that there were two comfort foods common to every mid-day menu: Brown Bread and Irish Peasant Soup. While I’m traveling, if I find something I like to eat, I tend to stick with it, just to be on the safe side. Sheila says I should be more adventurous, but IMO, odd sauces can cover up a LOT of mystery meat.

Having said that, we discovered that each of the places had different recipes for the soup. Sheila came up with this combination of vegetables after striking up a friendship with a chatty cook who revealed that the soups are basically created using whatever is fresh from the garden that week.

Irish Peasant Soup

Sheila Kerrian
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine Irish
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 stalks celery (no leaves) diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 2 quarts chicken broth (organic, low sodium)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 3/4 cups baby carrots, sliced
  • 1 cup parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped kale

Instructions
 

  • Saute diced celery in olive oil until translucent (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth if needed to keep from sticking.  
  • Add powdered garlic and onion powder. Stir.
  • Add sliced carrots, sliced parsnips, minced garlic and salt. Add 1 cup more chicken broth, stir, cover and bring to low boil, cooking until parsnips fork tender (about 20 minutes). Stir occasionally.
  • After parsnips are fork tender, add the kale and the remaining chicken broth, cover and continue on simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.
  • Remove soup from pot a little at a time and puree in blender or food processor until desired consistency, setting aside until entire contents are pureed. Return puree to pot and lightly season with salt, etc. to taste.
  • Reheat before serving.

Notes

Note: If making ahead, this soup gets a little saltier in the refrigerator by the next day.

 

It’s easy to substitute other veggies if parsnips or kale are out of season or unavailable. Keep the seasoning, liquids, and measurements the same. The basic recipe is quite versatile. Promise: nobody will die if you switch out collard greens for the kale.  😉

Enjoy!

 

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