Baked Ejjeh(Frittata Or Crust-less Quiche)

Ejjeh is a popular Lebanese dish that is similar to Latkes except that is usually made with squash and herbs or just herbs. It is fried in olive oil and serve in a pita with tomatoes or a salad. My Mom usually made them from the pulp leftover from another dish; stuffed courgettes/squash. We used to patiently wait around to steal them as they come out against Mom’s protest. In later days, to our disappointment, she started making a healthier baked version of the same dish. It comes out like a quish without the crust and the cheese or like a frittata. Mom’s recipe included fresh dill and parsley and that’s what I like to do. You can choose your own like tarragon, chives or whatever is on hand. This recipe is quick paired with a green salad dressed in a vinaigrette is perfect for lunch, packed for a picnic and even a light summer dinner. I like it in a pita with tomatoes and salt. Yummmmmy……
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
2 medium size zucchini, shredded
½ medium size yellow onion, finely diced
3 tbs. chives or scallions, freshly chopped
½ bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 dill fronds, finely chopped
6 tbs. Rice flour or All Purpose flour
6 eggs , well beaten
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper ¼ tsp. chili flakes (optional)
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Instructions:

Heat your oven at 350 degrees. Prep all your ingredients. Beat the eggs with the salt, spices and herbs. Mix all the ingredients together. Brush a 12”x8” or equivalent roasting pan (I prefer Pyrex) with the oil making sure to paint the sides, place pan in oven until oil starts smoking. Pour mix in pan; spread evenly and bake for 30 minutes. Turn broiler on low and broil for 3 minutes until top is golden. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

Variations: You can add half a cup of crumbled feta cheese to the mix but make sure to decrease amount of salt. For an Italian taste sprinkle with parmesan cheese before you broil it. Asparagus, spinach, kale or chard; blanched an chopped would be a great substitute to zucchini.

Vegetarian Pho

 

 

I have been thinking of a way to make a vegetarian version of the Vietnamese staple soup Pho. The secret of any good Pho is the broth which is usually cooked 4 to 5 hours and left overnight for the flavors to develop. The clear broth is made with beef bones like marrow bones, knuckles or oxtail and a mix of sweet fragrant spices like cinnamon, star anise and fennel. Doing my research I found recipes that have common elements like the charred onions and ginger, the spices seemed to be the same with an addition of one or two in some of them. I have to come up with my own…….

I have been using mushrooms in soup stocks and sauces for a long time; sometimes using red wine or different herbs to capture the richness of meat. This time was not going to be different .I used dried shiitake mushrooms which have a concentrated earthy flavor that lends a deeper accent to the broth. I put my own signature by using my universal spice threesome; all spice, black pepper and ground cinnamon in addition to the recommended spices plus garlic and lime peel. Roasting the onions and the garlic makes it sweeter and enhances the overall flavor of the broth.

I was really surprised by how deep and rich the broth was; I did not miss the meat and bone flavor at all.

When you strain the broth you can fish out the mushroom, slice it and add it to your soup.

 

Recipe-Vegetarian Pho with Vegetables 

Serves: 4 to 6

Broth

5 Liters/ 20 cups of water

1 oz. washed dried shiitake mushrooms

1 large yellow onion, skin on and cut in half

2 carrots cut into 4 pieces

2 celery stalks cut into 4 pieces

5 whole garlic cloves, skin on

3 “ fresh ginger

3 scallions cut into 4 pieces

5 bay leaves

1 tsp fennel seeds

8 star anise

15 black pepper corns

10 allspice corns

8 whole cloves

1 tsp. powdered cinnamon

½ tsp. powdered allspice

2 tbs. Bragg’s amino

Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Put water in heavy bottom pan and add to it mushroom, cook on medium high heat. In the mean time broil onion and garlic in a pan in a 400 degree oven. Stick ginger on a metal skewer and roast it on an open flame turning it around until charred. Cool ginger down, peel and chop and add to pot. Place star anise, black pepper corns, allspice corns, and cinnamon stick in a small skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant. Take spices off heat; add bay leaves and fennel seeds. Put all spices in a piece of cheesecloth, tie cloth with twine and add to pot. When onions are charred and caramelized, peel skin off cut into pieces and add to pot. Cover pot and simmer broth over low medium heat for about an hour or until liquid is concentrated into about 8 cups. Add Bragg’s, powdered cinnamon, powdered allspice and salt to taste. Strain broth; remove mushrooms and discard of rest of vegetables and spices. Slice mushroom and save for soup. Put broth back in pot.

Soup

4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin

1 broccoli florets cut into bite size pieces

4 celery stalks, cut into 1” pieces

4 baby bock choy, chopped

1 package thin rice sticks, Maifun

Baked tofu (optional)-Recipe below

Steam vegetables until tender crisp; about 10 minutes or until tender crisp. Shock vegetables in cold water then strain. In a pot bring 8 cups of water to a boil, cook rice sticks for about 5 minutes or until tender. Strain noodles and plunge in cold water to stop cooking. Strain noodles and set aside

Condiments and Garnishes

1 Lb. bean sprouts

1 cup chopped cilantro

1 white onion, sliced very thin

1 scallion, chopped

4 Thai basil sprigs

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)

2 limes cut into eighths

Hoisin Sauce

Chili Garlic Sauce

Soup Assemblage:

Bring broth to a boil, put a serving of noodles in a bowl, add vegetables and tofu then top with broth. Garnish with sliced onions and cilantro. Serve with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, jalapeno, Hoisin sauce and chili sauce.