Roasted Acorn Squash with Tomato Sauce, Sauteed Arugula, Sunny Side Up Egg and Crispy Prosciutto

This picture sucks. Blogging and baby raising don't mix. The egg had set by the time I snapped the picture (from the heat of the sautéed arugula underneath) so the whole 'sunny side up' thing was debatable. Also you can't even see the acorn squash hiding under there but no matter.

You'll just have to trust me that this was insanely good. Like some of the best recipes it's more of a suggestion than gospel. You could skip the arugula, swap it for spinach or add goat cheese as I would if my baby wasn't so anti dairy.

But here's what I love about a dietary restriction (and there ain't much…honestly if you knew how much I love cheese you'd be wondering if this was really me talking.) It forces you to try things you ordinarily wouldn't and in the best case scenario you discover something you'll make again and again.

For example would I normally think to roast an acorn squash and top it with this random combo that reads like an edible version of the island of misfit toys? No. But I'm glad I did because it's now one of my favorite meals ever. It's got it all (cue Steffan from SNL!) The acorn squash is sweet and satisfyingly toothsome with its crispy skinned shell to hold everything together. The tomato sauce is rich and earthy and a beautiful thing when topped with peppery sautéed arugula. Then there's the fried egg which needs no further explanation. Top it all off with crispy prosciutto for a little crunch and some flat leaf parsley and I dare you to think of a more satisfying meal that also happens to fit snuggly in the Paleo/gluten free/SCD diet category.

Last thing - while assembling this meal takes 10 minutes total (the eggs and arugula and prosciutto fry up in the same pan) you do need to bake the squash ahead of time as it takes over an hour. Good news is you can do this ahead of time - even a day ahead if you wanted to - refrigerate and just reheat in a low oven while you prep the rest for 20 minutes or so or even microwave it. Easy peasy.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Tomato Sauce, Sauteed Arugula, Sunny Side Up Egg and Crispy Prosciutto
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash, split in half with seeds scraped clean
olive oil
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
1/2 cup tomato sauce (or more if you like a lot of sauce as I do)
2-4 eggs depending on appetite
2 cups baby arugula, packed
4 slices prosciutto
4 sprigs flat leaf parsley for garnish

Directions:
Lay acorn halves cut side up onto a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Lightly rub the flesh with a teaspoon each of olive oil (or more) to coat then season with salt and pepper.

Roast in a 375 oven for one hour and thirty minutes (may be a little more or less depending on size of squash) until the tops are golden and the skin has shriveled and begun to crisp. The flesh should pierce easily with a sharp knife.

Set aside while you get on with the rest.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat for two minutes. Add a slug of olive oil and let heat through another 60 seconds then crack the eggs in (2 at a time if making 2 servings/4 eggs or otherwise 2 will fit comfortably along with the rest of the ingredients.) Season with salt and pepper and fry for 3-4 minutes until the whites have begun to cook but the yolks are still runny. Pour the arugula in the spare room around the eggs, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 60 seconds stirring with a spatula to help them wilt. At this point if the tops of the whites are still liquidy put a cover over for 60 seconds to help them firm up being careful not to overcook the yolks (this dish is all about their runniness.)

Meanwhile heat up the tomato sauce in a small microwave safe bowl for 60 or until warm. Divide it between the acorn halves then top with the sautéed arugula. Top with the fried eggs and a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired.

Last step is to add the prosciutto slices to the same skillet and crank the heat up a little. They will pan fry to your desired texture in no time. I like it crispy which takes about 2 minutes. Remove and divide over the eggs.

Garnish with flat leaf parsley and dig in (feel free to add more tomato sauce over the top if desired also.)

Savory Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Bake

Some call it a strata. Some call it a bread pudding. Some even call it a casserole.

Food and Wine calls it a Savory Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Bake.

I don't care what you call it as long as I can eat it. This is a labor of love and makes enough for an army but the upside is, you can freeze the leftovers as individual portions and heat them up later when you have an emergency comfort food craving. I've even done this with the eggs intact, but if you're picky you can discard the eggs from the top before freezing and just put a pan fried one over the top after it bakes. Disco.

Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:
1 pound bakery white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (16 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sliced applewood-smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
One 28-ounce can whole Italian tomatoes—drained, chopped and patted dry
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 pound extra-sharp cheddar, shredded (about 2 cups)
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Big handful minced flat leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt
8 large eggs
Hot sauce, for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil and spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until the bread is golden and lightly crisp.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain; reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until any liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Return the toasted bread cubes to the bowl. Add the contents of the skillet, along with the bacon, shredded cheeses, chives, parsley and broth. Stir until the bread is evenly moistened. Season with salt. Spread the mixture in the baking dish and cover with lightly oiled foil.
Bake the bread mixture in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is crispy, about 15 minutes longer. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and, using a ladle, press 8 indentations into the bread mixture. Crack an egg into each indentation. Return the dish to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Garnish with additional parsley and serve right away with hot sauce.

MAKE AHEAD The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight.

Croque Madame Pizza with Spinach and Prosciutto

All the loveliness of a croque madam sandwich only better. Because it's pizza y'all.

If you've never had a croque madam, let me tell you what you're missing. Take the best ham and cheese sandwich ever assembled, smother it in a gooey, cheesy beschemal sauce, then broil it until the top is perfectly golden, yet molten and bubbling underneath THEN top the whole thing off with a perfectly fried egg so that when you cut into it, the golden yolk dribbles down over the whole thing, uniting the creamy cheese, salty ham, and slightly sweet bread as one celestial being.

Croque Madames are the single reason you can drink until 7 in the morning in Cannes, then get up at noon and do it all over again. The key is to get one from the Gutter Bar (actually a Croque Monsieur, sans egg) right before you pass out.

Anyway, this pizza captures all of the love and lust of a great croque in pizza form. Instead of slaving over a beschemal sauce on the stove, a similar flavor and texture is achieved through combining goat cheese, parmesan and sour cream (or creme fraiche) together as a spread in addition to fresh chopped spinach which turns it a whimsical, Emerald Isle color.

Of course this pizza would be delicious even without the egg and prosciutto, but if you're going to go to France for the evening, why not live a little?

Ingredients:
1 round homemade or store bought fresh pizza dough
1 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh spinach
4 oz goat cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
lots of fresh grated nutmeg (scant 1/4 teaspoon)
1/3 cup parmesan, plus extra for garnish
3 tablespoons sour cream (or ricotta or creme fraiche)
pinch red pepper flakes
black pepper

olive oil, for drizzling over cheese spread
2 eggs, set out for 10 minutes
4-6 slices of prosciutto, or as much as you like

How To:
Divide the dough in half (you don't have to - but it looks cuter when each pizza gets its own egg in the center versus 2 eggs on 1 larger pizza.)

Roll each pizza out to your desired thickness and transfer to an aluminum lined, non stick sprayed baking sheet (2 if necessary.)

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped spinach, goat cheese, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg, parmesan, sour cream, and peppers until well blended. You can do this earlier in the day if you like and keep the mixture covered in the fridge until you're ready to assemble.

Spread the mixture out onto your prepared dough, either with a butter knife or using your fingers - whatever works for you. Try to get it as evenly across the dough as possible but don't worry if it clumps up in places as long as some of it is anointing the entire dough.

Bake at 425 for 5-6 minutes, JUST until the edge of the crust begins to set (whiten) but not yet becoming golden or crispy. Remove the pizzas and whop up the heat to broil (500). meanwhile, working quickly but carefully, crack an egg right over the center of each, then carefully (slowly so you don't sling the egg off) but immediately return to the oven now set on broil on a high shelf. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the edges are golden and the egg has 'set' (is no longer a wobbly mess when you lightly shake the pan. It's okay for the yoke still to be a little runny - in fact that's the goal - but you want the whites cooked and the crust and cheese to be nice and golden.

Remove and immediately cover with a bit more parmesan cheese and little strips of prosciutto torn up with your fingers - as much as you like.

Let sit another minute to finish setting the yolk, then slice and serve. Voila!

The New York Madame (New York Strip with a Fried Egg and Goat Cheese)

This is what happens when I skip lunch. I didn't intend to skip lunch (after all, this is me we're talking about.) It just happened. We went out to run a few errands and ended up staying out all day. I kept thinking we'd make it back in time for me to heat up some roasted tomato soup but by the time we got home it was dinner. And I was starving.

Now that I've justified this somewhat over-the-top-man-feast, I feel slightly better. Oh wait - did I mention I served it with fried onion rings and garlicky sauteed collard greens? Hmm. I should really go and exercise. But not before I tell you that my husband declared this his favorite meal of all time. I also have to mention that I can't help eating it without singing the lyrics to "Big Poppa" - "A t-bone steak, cheese, eggs and Welch's Grape..."

Forgive me - I'm a child of the 90's. RIP Biggie!

The New York Madame (New York Strips with a Fried Egg and Goat Cheese)
* Heavily inspired by/subconsciously lifted from Giada DeLaurentiis.
* Serves 2 very hungry people who may or may not have skipped lunch.

Ingredients:
2 NY strips with plenty of marbling around the edges
mustard powder
fennel seeds
fresh thyme
ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 eggs
2 oz goat cheese, divided
fresh chopped herbs - cilantro and basil, or flat leaf parsley

Instructions:
Pull your steaks out a half hour before you're ready to grill them. Season them on both sides with liberal amounts of mustard powder, fennel seeds, fresh thyme leaves, and just a teensy pinch of nutmeg. Cover with plastic wrap and let come to room temp for about 20-25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil to a large rimmed skillet and put over medium high heat, letting heat through and tilting to coat the bottom of the pan (you just need a thin layer.)

Season the steaks on both sides with fresh cracked pepper and kosher or sea salt. Add to the pan and let sear - not touching them - for 3-4 minutes until you have good browning and the steaks lift easily (release from the pan) when you try and pick them up with tongs. Flip and cook another 3 minutes or until you have equally grand bronzing, then carefully and quickly transfer to a greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes (less for medium rare, longer for medium well, depending on the thickness of your steaks.)

While the steaks bake in the oven, remove the goat cheese from the fridge and set aside. Pour off all the excess oil from the pan you seared the steaks in but enough to leave a thin coat and put back over medium heat (you can also give a spritz of nonstick spray to ensure the eggs don't stick.) Carefully crack the eggs into the pan, giving each its own space, and fry for about 2-3 minutes, until just sunny side up and fried only on the bottom. You want to cook the eggs less than you would for your usual sunny side up eggs, only because you're going to put them on top of hot steaks and they'll continue to cook because of this. Also you want your yolks runny here - that's the beauty of it - and once they're cooked - there's no more golden liquid to be had.

Take the pan off the heat and set the eggs aside while you retrieve the steaks.

Pull the steaks from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and smear with goat cheese - about an ounce per steak or to taste, then cover each with a sunny side up egg. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper, then top the entire 'madame' with fresh minced herbs - any kind you like. Basil, parsley, and/or cilantro are wonderful here.

Eat up!

Gorgeously Green Tomatillo Cream Sauce for Beef, Chicken or your Chip Bowl

I made this up a few years ago to serve with Filet Mignon on Christmas Eve because I needed a backup for my mushroom mascarpone sauce (one of my nephews detests mushrooms.) I was panicked looking around my sister's pantry for something to make a sauce out of when I came across a huge can of tomatillos. I pretended I hadn't seen the expiration date (the tomatillos were as old as Jesus) and went with it.

The weird thing is this sauce is delicious served warm as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted meat as well as cold, straight from the fridge, as a dip for tortillas chips. But no matter how you prefer to eat it, it tastes even better when made ahead and chilled for a few hours (or even overnight.)

Pretty. Versatile. Improves with age. If this recipe were a woman I'd have to kill her.

Tomatillo Cream Sauce:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper, for seasoning
1 (28 oz) can tomatillos, well drained
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup sour cream
2 heaping tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Add the olive oil or butter to a medium heavy bottomed dutch oven and put over medium heat. Let heat through for 1-2 minutes until warm and add the chopped onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add in the tomatillos and cook them in the onions, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes until the 1 or 2 of the tomatillos 'bursts' releasing its seeds into the pan OR until some of the onions begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan. You don't want them to start burning but some good browned bits are lovely. Add in the coriander, garlic powder, and white wine or vermouth and bring to a boil over high heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, being sure to scrape up any sticky or browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let boil away stirring occasionally until the majority of the wine has evaporated and the mixture is beginning to thicken - about 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes before adding to your blender to puree. Blend until the tomatillos and onions are all broken down, then add the sour cream, herbs and salt and blend again.

Taste to see if you need more salt or pepper, make any adjustments, blend again and serve. Sauce can made ahead and stored up to 3 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. Either serve cold if using for dip or reheat as a sauce over a low flame on the stove.

Something to Brunch On

A nice little egg dish for brunch (or dinner) that won't leave you doing the walk of shame afterwards. Because as it turns out, winter might actually leave us, and I cancelled my gym membership in February... Of course you can go whole hog and use egg whites, but the entire reason I make this is to be able to stab those round, yellow yolks and watch their buttery ribbons ooze into the veggies. It's better than popping bubble wrap.

Sunnies over Sauteed Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Peppers with Parmesan and Chives
* Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 portabello mushrooms, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper for seasoning
good grating of fresh nutmeg
pinch red pepper flakes, optional

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon of olive oil
4 eggs
sea salt
fresh cracked pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan, or to taste
1/4 cup freshly chopped green onions or chives

Instructions:
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter along with 2 teaspoons olive oil in your largest saute pan, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add the portabellos, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the asparagus and diced pepper along with another small pinch of salt. Cook the veggies to your liking - I like mine to get a little carmelized but not to the point of being mushy which usually takes about 7 minutes. Season with a good grating of freshly ground nutmeg and red pepper flakes if you like the addition of heat. Leave on low heat while you cook your eggs (or even better - start the eggs in another pan when you add in the asparagus for perfect timing.)

In another medium skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the bottom of the pan is coated. Carefully crack the eggs and add them spacing them out evenly in the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes for sunny side up, or longer to your liking, watching the heat so that you can turn it down if the edges brown too quickly. If you like yours really cooked - you can run the pan under a hot broiler afterwards. Season lightly with sea or kosher salt and pepper.

To plate, divide the veggies between two wide-rimmed bowls. Put two eggs over each pile, then sprinkle the Parmesan and chives over and around the eggs. Serve hot.

Ode to Julie and Julia - Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce

I finally saw Julie and Julia!

I loved it, of course. Meryl Streep as Julia Child?!!?? I mean get out of town on a hot catfish! I could watch Meryl play an embryo and be entertained for hours, much less the larger than life Julia!

The movie got me thinking about different types of cuisine and people's loyalty/fascination with them, as in Julia's real life obsession with everything French. The truth is, I don't think I could pick a favorite type or genre of food. Obviously, I'm head over heels for the simplicity and comfort of Southern American cuisine as well as Italian. But then again, I adore Mexican (both Tex Mex and Interior Mexican) as well as the exotic flavors of Asian and Indian food. The thought of not being able to change things up night after night gives me heart palpitations and makes me want to hide under the bed.

Of course, it's hard not to be seduced by the richness and all out indulgence of French food. In fact, Julia was so clearly in love with France itself, it makes total sense that she adopted the food as her own cuisine. Food after all is the shortcut to home, wether genuine or adopted.

My 'ode to Julie and Julia' recipe comes from a wonderful cookbook I received one Christmas from my mom in law, Charlotte, titled The Country Cooking of France. It's written by the modern day Julia Child (though not in personality - she's actually a quiet, elegant English woman by the name of Anne Willan.) And it's a gorgeous, gorgeous book - the kind that takes you to the land itself where the cows and lamb and vegetables grow and thrive versus just listing recipes.

The recipe is Oefs en Meurette - Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce. I followed the recipe for the most part but used Julia's gut bolstering wisdom (make no apologies) taking a liberty here or there. And because I wanted it to be dinner versus breakfast, I added a mushrooms on toast recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Mustard's Grill Cookbook.

I hope the flavors of France, or at least the Joie de vivre that seems to accompany the food, people, and culture, find you often.

TIP: Poaching eggs can actually be just as unglamorous and frustrating as the scene of Julie attempting it in the movie. It takes practice, and even after you've mastered it - I suggest having more eggs than the recipe calls for at the ready in case of accidents. One trick that helps me is to first crack each individual egg into a coffee cup, then carefully dip the edge of the cup into the simmering water where bubbles have formed, carefully but swiftly letting the water enter the glass and carry the egg out and into the water - hopefully in one piece. If you strike out, simply try again, removing the broken up sacrificial egg with a spider. It's not the end of the world.

Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce
Adapted from The Country Cooking of France, by Anne Willan
Serves 2 as a main course.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/2 bottle Pinot Noir (preferably French:)
1 cup veal or beef broth
4 eggs
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 celery stalk, thinly sliced (I subbed 1/2 teaspoon celery salt)
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 bouquet garni (simply a couple of fresh thyme, rosemary, and parsley sprigs tied together with cooking twine)
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
1 peanut sized chunk of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

bowl of cooled water, on standby for poaching the eggs

Instructions:
Bring the wine and the broth to a vigorous boil in a medium, rimmed saute pan (you need the liquid to be deep enough for the eggs to float, so use your judgement.) Break the eggs, one by one, into the part where the liquid is bubbling so that the bubbles 'spin' the eggs. Lower the heat and poach them at a very gently simmer until the yolks are firm but still soft to the touch, about 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon and immerse them into a bowl of cool water while you prepare the sauce (after a couple of minutes, you can gently lift the eggs out to trim uneven edges with scissors, then put them back into the water.)

Meanwhile, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bouquet garni, peppercorns, and a pinch of kosher or sea salt to the wine mixture and simmer until it is concentrated and reduced, about 20 to 25 minutes total.

Meanwhile, crush the butter and flour together in a small bowl using a fork to work the flour into the butter to form a soft pace (what the French call a Beurre Manie.) Bring the wine reduction back to a boil, and whisk in the beurre manie A PIECE AT A TIME, until the sauce coats the back of your stirring spoon lightly. You might not need all of the paste. Using a large sieve, strain the sauce into a separate, heat proof bowl or pot, mashing the veggies into the sieve getting all of the flavor you can extract out of it. Transfer this BACK to your original pan and stir in the chocolate until it melts and incorporates into the sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Reheat the eggs by placing them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds (just a flash to warm through or they'll cook), then transfer carefully to your serving plate and spoon the sauce over. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

3 Minute Meal; Eggs, Cheese, Prosciutto

I am not an eggs/bacon/toast gal for breakfast. I prefer to start the day with something small and sweet, leaving the serious eating to later on. So it makes sense that I almost never eat eggs. I like eggs, but I never think of them since they're mostly breakfast food. Well shame on me for my old fashioned stereotypes. There is no reason on earth eggs have to be breakfast.

This occurred to me for the first time the other night when we got home late from work and I opened the fridge knowing there wasn't much in there, fearing I'd have to order take out. Here's what stared back at me - eggs, some shredded Mozzarella, and a package of diced prosciutto.

Not less than 5 minutes later, I was sitting on the couch, steaming bowl of fluffy scrambled eggs in hand. The only thing that could have made this little miracle dinner any better was a glass of Champagne, but I was too tired to open any.

I give you...Eggs, Cheese, Prosciutto!

Scrambled eggs with Mozzarella Cheese and Prosciutto (or anything you've got in your fridge.)
Serves 1

Splash of milk
3 eggs
Heaping tablespoon of proscuitto bits or 2 prosciutto slices, torn up
1/3 cup of shredded Mozzarella
salt and pepper

Pour a splash of milk into small bowl, then crack the eggs in. Whip with a fork or whisk to break up, then add in your cheese and prosciutto, season with salt and pepper, and whip a few seconds more until fluffy.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, pour in the egg mixture and let sit for 1 minute, until sides begin to look cooked. Use your spatula to gently 'scramble', let sit for 30 seconds, then repeat until eggs are desired consistency.

* Actually, I could have easily snipped in some Italian parsley or green onions which I also had on hand, but something about the beautiful graphicness of the hot pink prosciutto chunks against the smooth yellow eggs told me not to.