Recently, I spent a couple of days at the Oregon coast with some of my best friends. In addition to lots of laughter, a little crying and some fantastic wines, we had unbelievably yummy food. OK, yes, I made the food, but hey, it was great...if I do say so myself...
What I loved about cooking this particular weekend was the spontaneity of it. My BFF Maryellen of Yoga Cowgirls, was there a day early and bought fresh crab, shrimp, smoked salmon, and clams. My other friends, Suzanne (an unbelievable energy healer from NM) and Liz (you might know her from Elizabeth Leach Galleries), and I drove up together, stopping at my favorite farm stand on HWY 101, just outside of Tillamook. We snatched up peaches, nectarines, berries, tomatoes, peppers, squash, onions and all manner of baked goods. It was hard to resist buying the big, beautiful pumpkins that were out back in the patch.
I whipped up an awesome dinner...but really, anyone could have with that bounty. As usual, we had way more than we could eat, so I transformed the ingredients into brunch the next day. In addition to a yummy fruit crumble (where I used granola instead of plain rolled oats for the topping), I whipped up a seafood frittata and savory bread pudding. Both are super easy to make and completely delicious...so I thought I would share the recipes.
Seafood Frittata
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 medium sweet onion
1 heirloom tomato
1 jalepeno
12 eggs
1/2 cup cooked pasta
1/4 lb cleaned crab meat, roughly chopped
1/4 cup smoke salmon, flaked
1/2 cup white cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In an oven proof skillet, saute onion and garlic until translucent. In a bowl, break eggs and add just a bit of water. Whisk until yolks are broken and mixture is combined. Add tomato, jalepeno, salt and pepper, stir and pour into skillet. (I had actually made fresh salsa the night before and just used some of that, which you could certainly do, too). Sprinkle in pasta, crab and salmon, use a spatula to gently move the eggs a bit, but don't scramble. When the eggs have started to cook on the bottom, sprinkle cheese across the top of the eggs and place in the oven. Cook until the center is set, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand a couple of minutes, cut and serve.
Savory Bread Pudding
1 loaf of day old bread (we had Italian)
3-4 eggs
2-3 cups of milk
1/4 shredded Parmesan
diced roasted vegetables (grilled the night before...we used two kinds of summer squash and red onion)
3-4 tbsp butter, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop bread into cubes and place in a roasting pan. In a bowl, combine milk, cheese and eggs...the amount will vary dependent upon how much bread you have. It should be enough to cover the bread when pushed down with a weighted pan. Add garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper, whisk to combine. Add roasted veggies, stir and pour over bread. Place a pan on top of the mixture and weight it with a couple of cans of tomatoes. Let stand for 15 minutes or so...remove the pan, and top with butter pieces. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the mixture is set in the center.
Both of these dishes are incredibly easy to make...and a great use of leftovers! I hope you give it a try and let me know how it turns out in your kitchen.
