Spring in the South means an abundance of eggs and greens. Many people ask us for ideas on how to cook this wonderful fresh food that we are so blessed to have. So, on this post we have included some of our favorite recipes for this time of year. Enjoy!
Spinach Parmigiana
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1 tbs. butter
¾ cup chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
10 ounces spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tbs. water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onion until tender. Add the spinach and water and cook until just wilted. Drain in a large sieve (we used a colander), pressing with spoon until all the liquid is drained. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, ¾ cup cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir into the spinach mixture. Pour into a lightly greased 1 ½ quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup cheese and bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes, or until set in the center. Serve warm or at room temperature.
From Come to the Table by Benita Long
Perhaps, like us, you have been searching for the world's best quiche. Or perhaps you were and didn't know it. Or perhaps you should have been. We propose that all the people in the Good Lord's world fit into one of these categories- So, expectant humanity, look no further.
Asparagus and Leek Quiche
1 prebaked deep pie shell
1/2 lb. asparagus, cut diagonally into 1/2- in pieces
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the pie crust. Bring a saucepan of generously salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook, uncovered, until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain the asparagus, then immediately plunge it into a bowl of ice water. When cool, drain again and pat the asparagus dry.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Stir in the leek with a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender, 4-6 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, Parmesan cheese, cayenne, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir in the asparagus and leek. Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake the quiche until golden on top and just barely jiggling in the center, 45-50 minutes.
Cool the quiche on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
From Eggs by Jodi Liano
This next recipe is a long time family favorite. Originally from Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis, we have adapted it to suit what we have in our garden. Below is her recipe with our adaptations in parenthesis. Sorry we don't have a picture. All we can say is that this is so delicious that we tend to dig in without any thought for the camera!
Lasagna Rolls
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- (This is a wonderful sauce! Don't skip the nutmeg. It really makes it.)
Lasagna:
- 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
- (We use homemade ricotta from Moore Bottom Farm's fresh milk)
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
- (We use fresh spinach, collards, kale, swiss chard, or any other greens available in the garden. If you use fresh greens, wash them well and chop finely. Boil them until tender and drain. As soon as they are cool, squeeze them dry.)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
- (We have never used this- for us it is not necessary to include any meat because this is such a hearty dish. To feed a large crowd for Sunday dinner, we have included homemade chicken sausage or ground venison. Always a huge hit!)
- 1 large egg, beaten to blend
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
- (We have used both store bought and fresh homemade. If you use fresh homemade noodles, no need to boil them before you roll the filling in them.)
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)
Directions
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread a large spoonful (about 3 tablespoons worth) of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.
The last recipe for today is a fun one! We love Chinese food and this is a special way to eat your collards, cabbages, kale, and even brussels sprouts. It's definitely a crowd pleaser and not too complicated either.
Southern Garden Spring Rolls
1 Package Spring Roll Wrappers (Found in the refrigerator produce section of the grocery store)
1/2 head of a small red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 head of a medium green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 carrots, shredded
Diced ginger root
1 clove pressed garlic
Optional: Sesame seeds and sesame oil
(Feel free to be creative with these ingredients. You could add mushrooms, some form of meat, or substitute another green for the cabbage.)
Combine the green cabbage, shredded carrots, ginger, and garlic. Saute until tender. Saute the red cabbage separately to keep it from dying all the other vegetables red. Spread the sauteed veggies out thinly on cookie sheets to let them cool. After they cool, squeeze the veggies dry and tilt the cookie sheets, letting all the water run off. You don't want the vegetables to make the wrappers soggy. After the vegetables are cool and squeezed dry, transfer them all to a big mixing bowl and combine. At this point you can drizzle a little sesame oil and sprinkle sesame seeds on the veggie mixture and stir well, if desired.
Now, time to fill and wrap the Spring Rolls. Carefully follow the step by step directions for wrapping the Spring rolls provided
here. Like the author of this link says, resist the urge to use too much filling or they will burst!
After you have finished wrapping all the Spring Rolls, fry them in hot oil, turning them to make sure they are uniformly brown on both sides. Serve with Chinese hot mustard.
