After making that creamy, oh-so-delicious vichyssoise the other day, the leftover leek greens greeted me every time I opened the fridge door. Yes, I am one of those people who tries not to waste food and feels guilty every time I throw away yet another icky bag of old arugula or fresh spinach.
Wait a minute - what about a frittata? I poked through the fridge to see what might go with sauteed leek greens and found the fresh chives and a sweet potato. The light green middle part of the leeks I washed carefully, then cut into 2 inch pieces and tossed in the food processor for a quick blitz - just enough to mince them - then did a quick saute in olive oil to soften them before adding them to the egg mixture. It was so good I'm sorry there are no leftovers today - it was last night's supper and it went very quickly!
Leek and sweet potato frittata
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cut off the light green leaves from the leftover leek greens and wash well.
Cut into 2 inch pieces and briefly pulse in the food processor. I ended up with 1 1/2 cups - if you have more, you can keep it in a container in the freezer to add to soups.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter in a skillet and add the leek greens. Saute on medium-low until the greens are soft. Take off heat and scrape into a bowl.
The frittata:
Oil a 9 or 10 inch glass pie plate and set aside.
Mix together:
6 extra-large eggs
1 heaping cup of the cooked leek greens
kosher salt or Spike vegetable salt to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 cup grated, peeled sweet potato (I used a box grater - it was surprisingly easy)
lots of freshly grated pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Scrape mixture into the prepared pie pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the frittata is firm and golden on top. Remove to cool before cutting into slices.
What a wonderful way to celebrate my blog getting fixed (thank you, Kelci) - four distressing days I never want to go through again, when my account was suspended due to a questionable email I had gotten. I was out for a walk two days ago, worrying and hyperventilating, when I saw my neighbor's two enormous chive plants and admired them. She handed me some scissors and a plastic bag and told me to help myself, which I did - then promptly celebrated with a pot of delicious vichyssoise.
This is the classic vichyssoise that you can also find in Julia's books: when it's cold, it's vichyssoise, when it's served warm, it's potage parmentier - a smooth, creamy soup (though it only has 3 tablespoons of cream) that I sprinkle with fresh chives and thyme leaves - thyme being my favorite herb of all. Served with a fresh green salad, it's a fine welcome to Spring.
To make:
3 cups sliced leeks (white only)
3 cups diced potatoes (I used small yellow potatoes)
3 cups light chicken broth
1 teaspoon or more kosher salt
a few thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Simmer the leeks, potatoes, broth, salt and thyme sprigs in a large pot for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
Remove thyme twigs from pot and toss.
Puree soup in blender or Cuisinart and return to cooking pot.
Swirl in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 4 tablespoons heavy cream and stir well.
Serve cold in mugs or bowls, sprinkled with minced chives and a few thyme leaves picked from their stems.
Happy Spring to you all!
What a blustery, chilly, few days! I should be grateful it's not snow - which I see on my Facebook feed from my New England friends, but something about the gusty winds sends me straight to the kitchen to make something a little sweet, a little chocolatey, a little nibble to brighten up the day. These chocolate chip snack muffins came to mind - perfect when you want a little something, but not overwhelmingly sweet or complicated. I found the recipe years ago on Two Peas and their Pod, and loved it instantly.
Chocolate Chip Snack Muffins
2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar ( I used dark brown)
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch or two of kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (8 tablespoons)
2 extra large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk (you can also use plain yogurt)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375.
Line a regular (not Texas size) 12 muffin tin with paper liners.
Place the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl: the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in mixer bowl.
In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla, stir well, then add to the flour mixture, then add in the chocolate chips. Mix briefly but thoroughly, then use an ice cream scoop to fill the paper liners. I had just enough batter to make one more bigish muffin, so I buttered a souffle cup for the 13th muffin.
Bake for approximately 18 minutes (ovens do vary, so touch a muffin gently on the top to make sure it's slightly firm to touch - if it isn't ,just bake a few more minutes)
Voila! Perfect after-school snack for the kids - and for you!
