Major Cooking Streak

Coming from a father who taught at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and producing a son that followed in his footsteps and trained at Le Cordon Bleu as well.  He has achieved Executive Chef status and has worked for several top restaurants in Minnesota my love for cooking runs deep.  He has been doing a lot of the cooking during the chaos and I have officially kicked him out of the kitchen.

I have found a renewed interest in the kitchen now that things have settled down so please bear with me as I share my love with you.

Tonights Menu will consist of:

Artichoke and Pancetta Frittata (with roasted artichoke hearts)

Warm Spinach Salad

French Baguettes

Here is the recipe for the Fritatta:

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 2 oz. pancetta (small), diced
• ½ can artichoke hearts, julienned
• 4 oz. Italian Fontina, grated
• 1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Pinch of cracked black pepper

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
Render the pancetta over medium-low heat until crispy; remove and set aside, reserving the fat in the pan.
Beat the 6 eggs and season with a pinch of pepper; pour into the pan and stir the middle of the mixture with a spatula. When the eggs start to set, add the other ingredients, making sure to distribute them evenly throughout the eggs. Separate the eggs from the side of the pan with your spatula. When the outside of the eggs starts to solidify, place the whole pan in the oven.
Check on the frittata every 5 minutes. When the top of the frittata starts to become solid, sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. The frittata is done when the top is brown and the middle jiggles but is solid to the touch.

Here is the recipe for the Warm Spinach Salad:

Ingredients

• Salad:
• 4 cups spinach leaves (loosely packed)
• ½ medium-sized red onion, julienned
• 
  
• Vinaigrette:
• 4 slices thick bacon, diced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon course-grain Dijon mustard
• 
  
• Garnish: 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped fine

Preparation

Toss together spinach leaves and red onion. Set aside.
In a sauté pan, place bacon with olive oil. Stirring frequently, cook on medium heat until crisp. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in mustard and vinegar. Pour over spinach mixture.
Quickly toss salad and top with hard-boiled egg.

Bon Appetite!