Healthy Small Plates, Volume 2: Eggs, Vegetables, Pastries, etc.

By Kate Zeller

Healthy Small Plates: Eggs, Vegetables, Tarts and more, is a collection of easy, mostly healthy little dishes to use as is for a first course, make smaller and serve as cocktail nibbles or expand and have as a light meal. Simply add a cup of soup or a salad or some crusty bread from the local bakery. As with Volume 1, there are suggestions with every recipe, as well as variations and tips.
Is every recipe healthy? Mostly... When the plates are small one can add decadent bits and still enjoy without guilt. Life is short; have some fun...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Zeller
• Release date: Dec 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301705702

Kate Zeller

American expat, restoring an old farmhouse in France; cooking, blogging, stumbling thru French life. To keep wine on the table I do a weekly menu planning site. The hubs hammers and saws; I cook and garden. Cooking for two can be a challenge - it's easy to make too much food, then eat it! My efforts, (and his efforts) and recipes are chronicled in my blog. All my recipes use fresh, seasonal ingredients. Healthy food for a healthy life. We left Minnesota in the late 90's in search of... better weather? It's a big world, we decided to explore it. After 1 year in Ireland and 7 years in Andorra we are now firmly settled in the-middle-of-nowhere, France. We are restoring a big, old stone farmhouse and raising 2 big puppies. Why, you ask? We don't know... But here we are.

Book preview

People are coming back to the kitchen.

There are many thousands of blogs and sites on the internet offering recipes, instructions and opinions on food, ranging from radical to traditional, advocating only raw foods to only supermarket prepared foods.

Thyme for Cooking advocates healthy, seasonal foods with an emphasis on the cuisines from around the Mediterranean.

On the Thyme for Cooking website you can find weekly menu plans with easy to prepare recipes (with photos) and organized shopping lists. Each day’s recipes have detailed menu preparation instructions and all recipes use fresh, seasonal ingredients.

On Thyme for Cooking Blog you can find more recipes plus tips on growing vegetables, preserving the harvest and primers on cooking techniques.

All recipes are designed for the novice and/or busy cook, using simple techniques and ingredients that are easily found in local stores and markets.

Healthy Small Plates is a selection of favorite recipes from both.

Whether you’re looking for a first course for a special dinner, a light summer lunch for friends or a simple supper on a busy night, you’ll find something here.

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A Note About the Recipes

First, a general note on salt and pepper: I rarely add salt because most of the recipes have enough for my taste from other ingredients (ham, cheese, olives, stock, etc.). Add it to your taste; the same for pepper.

Second, a general note on cooking: Unlike baking, most cooking is not an exact process. Some of the measurements in the recipes are precise and should be followed, as in making the egg noodles. Others, while precise, are really a matter of taste and practicality. It normally doesn’t matter how large the onion is or the leek or how much asparagus you want to use.

Third, a note on using canned or tinned products: Some of the recipes use commercial products, such as canned whole tomatoes, white beans or chickpeas. If you have tomatoes in your freezer, use them. If you prefer to start with dried legumes, do so. I have given the amounts in both weight and volume and tried to be reasonable. But if your can of tomatoes comes in a 16oz (480gr) size rather than 15oz (450gr) size-don’t worry about it. Just use what you have. See the second note.

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EGGS

The story of Green Garlic

Tortilla de Espárragos (Asparagus Frittata)

Avocado and Chevre (Goat Cheese) Omelettes

Cheese Flans with Spinach Salad

Caramelized Onion Crespèu

Egg Crêpes with Leeks and Ham

Egg Noodles with Tomato & Prosciutto Sauce

Fried Eggs, Hunter’s Style, with Wild Mushrooms

Poached Eggs on Fried Gnocchi with Prosciutto

Poached Egg with Polenta, Green Garlic and Asparagus

Poached Eggs Bourguignon

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Green Garlic

Smoked Salmon Stuffed Eggs

Tuna and Caper Mini Frittatas

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The Story of Green Garlic

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Summer was nearly upon us and it was time for our annual trip into the Somontano wine region of Spain to stock up on their vibrant, deep pink Rosados. After duly sampling and buying, we continued on up into the Pyrenean foothills for lunch at a restaurant our friend had discovered the summer before.

It was a typical, hot, dusty, early May day in Huesca. As we arrived in the tiny village we roused lazy dogs sleeping in the middle of the road and disturbed the old men sipping wine under the shade tree in the Plaza Major.

As is typical of these small, mountain places there weren’t any parking lots; there was barely room for cars. We tucked ours out of the way and wandered up to the restaurant on foot, nodding greetings to people through the open doors of their houses.

We were early for lunch; it wasn’t even two o’clock yet. We were told we could wait in a little courtyard across the street. Within a few minutes a bottle of the local white wine appeared, chilled, with a small plate of olives and ham, compliments of the owner. We settled into the rhythm of the Spanish day.

After an hour or so, we were summoned into the restaurant: lunch was ready.

There was no menu to look at nor choices to be made.

We sat and were served.

They brought another bottle of the chilled white to have with the first few courses, then a hearty red with the meat and cheese courses. Strong, hot coffee was served after dessert.

The little place was packed with about 20 other people. No locals, of course. This place was far too expensive for them. Our lunch for all three was almost $50.00 (including all the wine).

The 5-course lunch was sublime, everything perfectly cooked, all seasonal, locally grown, freshly picked.

It was my first introduction to Green Garlic. The chef showcased it in simple scrambled eggs.