Pea tortilla with mint and yogurt

 

This is Week #40 of my 2011 cooking challenge! Click on the above graphic to view all P&TC recipes. All recipes created for this challenge come from the Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010: An Entire Year of Recipes.

Another crazy week has come and gone. This week brought the passing of my grandmother. It's hard for me to imagine a world without my Grandma Ruth in it. I have such fond and vivid memories of her from when I was a child. The smells that came out of her kitchen will forever be deeply etched in my being. She had the best-smelling kitchen on the planet! Soon I will do a few posts in honor of her (involving cinnamon rolls and brownies), but for the time being anything I create in my kitchen makes me think of her.

I was skeptical about this recipe. A pea and mint tortilla? I mean, I love all of these ingredients, but mixed together? It turned out great, though. And it is ridiculously easy to make. Personally, I'd classify it as a frittata, but that's just me!

Preheat the broiler on your oven.

In a large ovenproof nonstick skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add 1/2 pound of frozen baby peas (thawed, drained and patted dry) and cook over moderate heat until warm, about 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together until smooth:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

8 large eggs

1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pour the egg mixture over the peas and cook over moderately high heat until set on the bottom and around the edge, about 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil 6 inches from the heat for about 3 minutes, until the top of the tortilla is set and lightly golden in spots. 

Slide the tortilla onto a plate, cut into wedges and serve with 1 more cup of plain Greek yogurt.

I hope my kitchen smells make you proud, Grandma Ruth!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Green beans with tomatoes, olives and eggs

Whew! What a weekend. I shot my first wedding over the weekend, which turned out to be an incredible experience. The rest of the weekend involved sickness, sickness and more sickness. I had a parenting moment on Saturday ("moment" = 3-hour period) that I will never forget, for as long as I live. I won't go into details because I will shortly be talking about food and I do not wish to turn anyone away from reading! So, yes, the weekend is done and I am somewhat thankful for that.

Abrupt change of subject here. Food! Salads! If you've been reading for a while, you know that I am quite fond of The Salad. I salivate over salads the way most people salivate over fried chicken. Or sweets. Or Chinese food. This green bean salad is such a simple concept, but the flavors are anything but simple. It is such a delicious combination of flavors that will keep you coming back to the fridge until the bowl is empty. 

(Source: Food Everyday: Martha Stewart)

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook 1 pound of trimmed green beans until crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Halve the beans and place in a large bowl. Add:

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste

Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable recipe!