Mushroom-Leek Frittata, Kale Slaw, Homemade Bread

The inspiration for the frittata came from Fertile Ground CSA’s website.  Theirs was simply a leek frittata , but for some reason we wanted to add Ontario mushrooms… so we did.  We had to combine a few recipes so we based ours on Fertile Ground’s and on Foodland Ontario’s .  The results were quite good, and although I noticed on Google that Martha Stewart suggested whipping the egg whites and yolks separately for unlocking the secret to a “fluffy” frittata, we chose to keep things simple.

The Kale Slaw made a great addition to this meal and was very easy to make.  Our recipe is inspired by one from Farmburger in Atlanta.  We never did ask them how they made theirs, but we like ours lots!

Finally, finish out the meal with some fresh-baked bread and a side of hummus if you like.  I’ve been baking 100% whole grain breads lately, with lots of help from Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads which is a wonderful book.  It’s easy to make a 100% local bread with his recipes too which I’ve been very happy about (well, I guess it’s more like 98% local since the yeast and salt are not local… accept for the sourdoughs).

Mushroom-Leek Frittata

• 1 Tb. oil
• 3-4 leeks, chopped
• ½ lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 5-6 eggs, whisked with a splash of milk
• ½ c. cheese, shredded
• Pepper

Begin by heating the oil and frying the chopped leeks and sliced mushrooms in a cast iron pan for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the eggs, splash of milk, ground pepper, and shredded cheese.

When the leeks and mushrooms seem to have softened, add the egg and milk mixture and cover the pan with a lid.  Let the frittata cook until it has set, or firmed up.

Then transfer it to the oven and broil it until it is nicely golden.  Serve as soon as you like the color!  (I enjoyed topping my leftovers the next day with a good spicy salsa, but that’s just me).

Kale Slaw

Salad:

• 5-10 medium kale leaves, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• ¼ c. cranberries (these aren’t local but at least are from Ontario!!)
• ¼ c. (candied) pecans/walnuts/almonds or sunflower seeds (optional)

Dressing:

• 2 Tb. olive oil
• 1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tb. mayonnaise (this is what holds everything together – an emulsifier)
• 1 Tb. lemon juice
• 1 Tb. honey
• Salt and Pepper

Begin by preparing a steamer—I use a bamboo steamer set over a frying pan with a half-inch of water in it.  Heat over medium heat.  Chop the kale into ribbons, about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide.  Steam them for about 5 min utes, long enough for them to turn a wonderful green color and soften without becoming limp and dead looking.  If your kale is really young and you like the taste fresh then you can do without steaming, I use an early Red Russian Kale from my garden this way.  While steaming the kale, shred the carrots.  If you like to sweeten this dish which I sometimes do then candy the nuts.  To do this add the nuts to a frying pan with 1 Tb. butter, 1 Tb. sugar (or honey, but it makes it stickier), a splash of water, and a dash of salt.  Fry, stirring occasionally, until the nuts darken.  It’s a fine line between getting them crispy and burning them so this takes a few tries maybe to get it just the way you like.

Mix the kale and carrots together and toss with the dressing, reserving some if you like your salad a bit lighter.  Top with the cranberries and nuts or sunflower seeds (which in the version pictured I didn’t do).

100% Whole Wheat Bread

And the bread…. Well, long story short, I would recommend getting Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads. But in the meantime you could also just try this recipe from the book.  On that blog the bread is cooked in a bread loaf pan while mine is baked more free-form.  Either way, it’s the same recipe with different shapes.

*Update: You can also try our 2:2:2 simple whole grain bread recipe or our go-to sourdough recipe.