Eggs | Gourmandistan

A bulgur display of powder.

January 6, 2012 by Steve

This Curried Bulgur from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (“The first one. The yellow one, with the fat Bittman,” Michelle said) makes a nice base for a bunch of lunches. One of our household staples is a jar of curry powder, because even though we take what many consider ridiculous steps with food (Steve was recently mocked for wondering if he could make his own analog to cheap canned crescent rolls for pigs-in-blankets), we see true Indian spice prep […]

Categories: Cooking, Eggs, Food, Grains, Recipes, Vegetarian

Sorrel, yet another sign of spring

April 15, 2011 by Michelle

Sorrel is the sour cousin of spinach. We welcome its fresh, citrusy flavor as much as the glowing colors of wildflowers we saw on a recent walk. This tart let the tangy taste of sorrel stand out among some of our surplus eggs, onion and cheese in one of Steve’s extra-buttery pie crusts. It’s a fairly simple recipe—yet it took all Winter to finally get it done. SORREL-ONION TART (adapted from Deborah Madison’s The Greens Cookbook) 1 recipe pâte brisée […]

Categories: Cooking, Eggs, Food, Recipes, Sorrel, Vegetarian

Pecking a post of pickled eggs

April 6, 2011 by Michelle

Gourmandistan produces plenty of poultry product. Even with just five hens currently, we get more eggs than we can handle. And we’re beginning to suspect friends may view us much like zucchini gardeners, as we press dozens on just about anyone who comes to see us. When the scrawled carton dates edge closer to expiration, we despair to find ways to dispose of them. However, when he recently did a magazine review of Holy Grale, a nice little beer bar […]

Categories: Cooking, Eggs, Food, Pickles, Recipes, Vegetarian

Research and risotto cakes

February 22, 2011 by Michelle

Gourmandistan is planning to temporarily plant its flag in a new land this Fall, inside the province of Padua in northeastern Italy. We’ve begun preparing for our trip already—Michelle furiously researching the sites, transportation options and cultural habits of the Veneto; Steve rambling around Google Earth looking for towns named for sausages and cheeses he’s heard of. In addition, we’ve predictably started exploring Italian recipes. We’re not huge fans of risotto-making here in Gourmandistan. Steve’s weak wrists and fidgetiness resent […]

Categories: Breakfast, Cooking, Eggs, Food, Italy, Peas, Recipes, Rice

Gourmandistan-to-go: Bacon, egg & cheese “biscuits”

November 10, 2010 by Steve

Michelle’s family was leaving Gourmandistan in 30 minutes or so, and we knew their plans for dinner didn’t include slowing down much before reaching their Western Kentucky home. We despaired at the thought of Mom, Dad and Sister dining on fast food. Then we thought, “Why not make our own?” We had several of Mrs. Gritton’s potato rolls in the freezer, a few nubs of home-cured bacon, a little mayo, some melty (local-ish!) cheese and our usual surfeit of eggs. […]

Categories: Breads & Crackers, Cooking, Cured meats, Eggs, Food • Tags: Locavore

24-hour breakfast people

August 27, 2010 by Steve

One of the nice things about having chickens in the backyard is that we rarely run out of eggs—which means we’re always ready for breakfast. (We’ll have fewer eggs than usual this Winter, but that’s best told in another post.) “Breakfast” isn’t necessarily a morning thing in Gourmandistan. Since we try to have Steve’s home-cured bacon around along with fresh eggs, breakfast can be the perfect answer to “What’s for dinner?,” especially if we’ve been too busy/frazzled to plan ahead. […]

Categories: Chicken keeping, Cooking, Eggs, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

Sacrelicious

April 26, 2010 by Michelle

Judy Rodgers’ Zuni Cafe Cookbook is somewhat of a holy text here in Gourmandistan—but, like any bible, it contains mysteries that sometimes test the faithful. A good example is the recipe for “Three Onion Panades: Chard, Sorrel, & Tomato.” Over the years, we’ve used all three varieties of panade to turn an overabundance of farm share greens, tomatoes, stale bread and about-to-go-bad chicken stock into a gooey, cheesy, rich meal. But at the end of this four-page recipe lies an […]

Categories: Breads & Crackers, Cooking, Eggs, Food, Recipes, Sorrel, Vegetarian