Yesterday's Brunch: Eggs Baked in Tomatoes with Basil

Last weekend, I bought two lovely, large tomatoes and 1/4 lb. of prosciutto di Parma specifically for this recipe, courtesy of Almost Bourdain. Thankfully, John's basil plants, which are winding down for the cold season, graced us with a few more leaves. Alas, we overcooked the eggs - they were more hard-boiled than poached - but this still made a tasty brunch. Next time, I may add a bit of pasted garlic or an anchovy to the paste to smear along the inside of the tomatoes.

• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 strips proscuitto (or pancetta)
• a small handful of basil leaves (we had 7-8 small ones)
• 2 tsp. olive oil, more if needed
• salt and pepper
• 2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (John's oven is more finicky, so we ended up more at 250 degrees).

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and remove their seeds. Set them upside-down over paper towels and let them drain for about 15 minutes.

Wrap a strip of proscuitto around each tomato and secure with toothpicks.

Smash the basil leaves into a paste. Add a bit of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Smear the mixture on the inside of the tomatoes.

Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet or ovenproof Pyrex dish. Bake in the oven till the proscuttio begins to brown around the edges (original recipe said about 15 minutes; took us more like 30).

Remove from oven. Break an egg into each tomato, then return. Bake till the eggs are done, but with runny yolks.

Serve with toast soldiers.

Mutant "Minestrone"

For the record: I have been cooking, albeit mostly repeating old recipes and sometimes being too lazy to update.

I've become addicted to Annie's Organics Minestrone (despite its deplorable lack of animal protein), and so resolved to make some minestrone of my own. Alas, things didn't quite turn out the way I'd planned: the term minestrone is in scare quotes because had to make do without things like a mirepoix or fresh herb; also, the current proportions are more familiar as pasta sauce or tomato-garlic soup. So far, the resultant concoction on my stove tastes fine, but could taste better. Meh as it may be, here it is for my records and to build on.

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6-10 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 oz. proscuitto
• 1 medium-sized potato, cubed
• 1 28-oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed or chopped
• 1 14 oz. can kidney beans
• 1 can shoepeg corn

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat till onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add proscuitto and saute for 3-5 more minutes.

Add potato, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Stir for one minute more.

Turn heat to high. Add tomatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer for about 15-25 minutes, when tomatoes have started to break down. (At this point, I also threw in 2 cubes of sugar because it was too sour without the counteracting notes of the celery and carrot).

Add kidney beans. Return to a boil, then to a simmer. Add corn 5 minutes before everything's done.

Will wait for this to age a bit before figuring out what I want to do with it. Seems certainly good enough to eat while watching the NYY-NYM game tonight, though, and to take to work tomorrow.

Refrigerator Remix: Braised Endive

So there I was, determined to neither waste nor want (and on a mission to fill at least one of Mr. Bento's compartments with greenery goodness). Found in the back of the fridge: four endives, a fortnight old but still in good shape. To Bittman! (The original recipe, from How to Cook Everything, is below, with my tweaks in italics.) Alas, the pantry contained neither prosciutto nor decent broth, but I did have some aging carrots and celery. Why not hearken to both Ruhlman's and Bittman's disdain for pre-prepared stock, add an onion to the mix, and make a mirepoix of it? And, hey, how about some of that garlic? While we're at it, why not mince some of that kielbasa in the freezer as a substitute for the prosciutto?

Note: Bradley, John and I ended up making an impromptu dinner out of this and John's first-ever attempt at risotto while watching the No Reservations: Philippines episode - a rather greens-and-grains heavy meal to be eating while lusting after sisig and lechon.

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 endives, trimmed at the base
• 1/4 cup proscuitto or other minced ham (substituted equivalent amount of minced sausage)
• 1/2 cup chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or water (doubled to 1 cup of water, because of the added vegetables)
• 1 small carrot, chopped into 1 in. chunks (not in original recipe)
• 1 celery stalk, chopped into 1 in. chunks (not in original recipe)
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (not in original recipe)
• 5-6 cloves garlic, unpeeled (not in original recipe)
  
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet that can be covered. Add the endives and cook, turning once or twice, until they begin to brown.

Add the meat, braising liquid, vegetables, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low or medium-low until very tender, about 45 mins. (took me about an hour).

Uncover and turn heat up to evaporate remaining liquid (I liked the resulting broth, so I skipped this step).

Drizzle with lemon juice or vinegar and serve.