Mustard Scrambled Eggs

We love to use eggs as our main dish for dinner. Omelettes, fritattas and even scrambled eggs make a filling and nutritious meal, especially when served with a big salad and some crusty bread. This recipe is amazingly simple and delicious.

2 1/2 oz butter
8 eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp Gruyere or cheddar (we used Comte)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (tarragon, parsley, chives or scallions are all good)

melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add eggs and cook, stirring
constantly, until just thickened. Add the cheese and stir until just
melted. Remove from the heat. Stir in the mustard, herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

from Organic Cooking, Naturally Good Food by Renee Elliott and Eric Treuille.

chicken paprikas with dumplings

this recipe came to me from my hungarian grandmother. we make dumplings all the time - usually with chicken paprikas and the cucumber salad i posted earlier...

dumplings
4 eggs, beaten
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 cups milk
mix all ingredients well (kitchen aid of course!) drop batter by tablespoons into salted boiling water. boil about 10 minutes - or until dumplings float to the top and are fairly firm. remove from the water with a slotted spoon and top with lots of butter and salt!

we often make chicken paprikas and top the dumplings with that - with the cucumbers as a side dish.

chicken paprikas
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon paprika (plus a little more for good measure! :)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
chicken **
1/2 pint sour cream
brown onions in butter. add seasonings and chicken. brown 10 minutes (5 mins on each side). cover and let simmer slowly - about 30 minutes. add sour cream to drippings in the pan and mix well.

** my grandmother used to make this with bone-in, skin-on chicken - all kinds of pieces. we use boneless, skinless thighs and breasts. i usually use about 6 thighs or 4 breasts - depending on size. it should all fit in a regular frying pan.

-Erin

eggplant soup

If you are wondering what to do with those little eggplants, I adapted a recipe I have for eggplant soup & it turned out great.
I blackened the eggplant & purple peppers on the grill, placed in a plastic bag for at least 10 minutes & cooled. Peeled and discarded the skins. Cut up into pieces. In a 3-qt. pot, over low heat, In a couple of Tbsps. of olive oil, I cooked the veggies w/a large garlic clove & a small red onion, both chopped, for 15 minutes or until very tender. Added salt and pepper to taste & a couple of cups of vegetable broth (could use chicken broth). Pureed the whole mixture in the blender until very smooth.

Koz