The Foodist: Exotic Quail Egg Salad

This salad is a surprising and savory delight! The Foodist: Exotic Quail Egg Salad and for a fun surprise add hot bacon or hot bacon dressing. Hearty and very good spring through winter.

Adapted from a recipe by Beth Sexton Stryker published Bon Appétit (May 1992). We made some changes and added the quail eggs. Those quail are laying dozens of eggs a week!

Ingredients

Salad

• 4 cups stemmed fresh spinach (one 10 oz bag)
• 1 can artichokes
• 6 slices of bacon
• 12 quail eggs, boiled
• Salt and crack pepper

Salad Dressing

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Prepare and wash the spinach and drain artichokes. Mix the salad in a stainless salad bowl.
2. Cook bacon to a crispy texture, drain, pat clear, and crumble. Add bacon to the salad. Preserve the bacon grease.
3. Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk sharply and reserve to the side in a bowl.
4. Serve the salad and top with the vinaigrette.
5. Heat vinaigrette, if desired.

Options

Use the reserved bacon grease to wilt the spinach for a hearty and warm salad for winter. See the poached duck egg and wilted green salad here. The extra dressing can be used with boiled potatoes or steamed green vegetables to make an instant salad later in the week. Of course, this salad is easily converted to a vegetarian option by omitting bacon.

This salad is a crowd pleaser. It can be modified in a variety of different ways. Wilted, served as an appetizer on crackers, or turned into a minestrone, there are options!

The Foodist: Scotched Quail Eggs

This was a surprise and a delight, The Foodist: Scotched Quail Eggs! In 2023 we started keeping quail to supplement the ecosystems of the chickens and the ducks at Mezzacello. The quail eat similar foods, but their manure is a different consistency and contains more unique minerals.

In addition to the fabulous and interesting biome enhancements, we also get really cool little quail eggs! It’s been fun making omelettes, quiches, and deserts with these funny little eggs. Rick decided to scoth them and this was great!

INGREDIENTS

• 18 quail eggs
• 1/2 pound ground beef or loose sausage

  • Optional
  • 1 tablespoon prepared English mustard
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 packed teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 2 chicken eggs
• Flour
• Bread crumbs
• Chives
• Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a pot of water to a hard boil. In 3 batches, boil the quail eggs for exactly 1 minute and 50 seconds. Immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Gently peel the eggs, removing the shell and the thin inner shell lining.

   • This is a little tricky if you have never worked with quail eggs before, and I lost 2 or 3 eggs before getting the hang of it.
   • Break the shell all around the egg first, then start at the top, making sure to grab hold of the inner lining as well as the shell.
   • Then work in a spiral around the egg, pulling off the entire shell in one continuous strip.

3. Beat the 2 chicken eggs to form an egg wash, and prepare your breading station with a plate of flour, a plate of egg wash, and a plate of breadcrumbs.
4. Roll out the beef or sausage very thin and lightly salt. If seasoning add 1 tablespoon prepared English mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 packed teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg in a medium bowl. Fold and mix until combined.
5. Lightly flour the egg. Wrap in a thin layer of meat and press into your hand in an effort to seal the meat all around the egg. Don’t press too hard or you will break the yolk!
6. When the meat is sealed around the egg, lightly flour it and roll it around in your hands again, using the flour coating to help seal everything shut.
7. Lightly dust with flour again, then coat in egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.
8. Deep fry at 350°F for about 2 minutes until the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.
9. Garnish with chives and serve.

SAUCE

• A simple sauce consists of 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons stone-ground mustard, juice of 1 lemon. I like using horseradish. Add to horseradish to taste.

NOTE:

• Keep the egg shells! Broil them in an oven and crush them. Return them to the quail or chickens as a ready source of calcium! Or use them in your plants to make strong stems or in your compost!

The Foodist: Cauliflower and Roquefort Soup

Welcome to The Foodist: Cauliflower and Roquefort Soup! This soup looks simple (and it is) but it packs a delicious punch. This is a modification of another recipe Rick found the The French Soup Book.

The original recipe calls for a puree. Rick opted to puree half and leave some chunks in there to shake up the flavor and mouthfeel. The roquefort cheese is so rich!

To add a bit of drama, Rick added nasturtiums. The edible flower and the radish tang to the leaves is quite delicious. And it looks festive.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cauliflower, chopped
• 1 potato, chopped
• 4 Cups broth or water
• 250gm – 500gm (8-16 ounces) Roquefort, according to how strong a taste you want.
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• White pepper (the Roquefort is salty, so don’t add any till tasting at the end, if at all.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Gently sweat the chopped onion.
2. Add the potato, cauliflower, 1 litre of water (or vegetable stock), salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
3. Pass through a blender / food mixer. Personally I keep this brief, because I prefer to have some ‘lumps’ in the soup, but this is not eveyone’s preference and it does have the appearance of badly made soup, I suppose.
4. Reheat, adding a little more water/stock if necessary, but it should remain quite thick.
5. Chop the Roquefort into small pieces, take the soup off the heat, and stir most of the cheese in as it melts.
6. Serve into bowls, sprinkle any remaining roquefort on top of the soup, and eat with plenty of fresh bread.

NOTE:

Based on experience with Roquefort on cheeseboards and other soups, I garnished with chopped walnuts with great effect. Nasturtium flower and leaves were also well paired.

I prefer to make this soup two make two batches. One with the potato to purée, and another to leave in as lumps. (My excuse is the body wants something to process, and needs fiber).

The Foodist: Stone Soup Vegetable Broth

I really like this recipe, The Foodist: Stone Soup Vegetable Broth because it is so wicked easy, sustainable, and fun to make. Plus, it has the added benefit of costing NEXT to nothing and is a great way to get kids involved in both cooking, and bioscience.

Add The Unexpected

This broth is essentially just tailings from vegetables that Rick Riley uses when he makes fabulous dinners with fresh foods from the gardens at Mezzacello. These are carrot ends, leek greens, fennel greens, shallot, onion, and garlic skins and spare flesh, fennel stalk peels and potato peels. But I add an unexpected twist.

To this cast iron enameled pan (important detail) I add 16 quarts of water, all the spare vegetables, a cup of white wine, and salt and pepper. I really do through the kitchen sink at this thing! Some flavors will overwhelm, but that is what the wine is for, to mellow out the flavors

The Mass of the Stone and it’s Surface Area Matters

Then I go out to the pond or field and I find the flattest, smoothest, biggest river rock I can find. I want it to be large enough to hold heat, but not take up too much space in the pan. The surface area is CRITICAL!

A smoother rock is easier to clean and dry. Bring that in and I wash it, sterilize it with alcohol if you’d like, dry it, and heat it up with flame.Then I carefully add that hot rock to the stock.

Kids WILL LOVE this! It sizzles in the boiling water and is so satisfying. I love how their little minds spin wondering what the stone will “taste like”. Then I put the lid on the pant and turn off the flame.

Thermodynamics, Energy Sustainability, and Folklore

Lastly, wrap the pan in a thick towel or even pink insulation or pine shavings (careful not to let them get in the pan) and let it sit for a few hours. The Rock has almost no thermal effect on the heat or cooking. That all comes from the water and the enameled cast iron pan.

What the rock does do is release natural minerals and create surface area that when cleaned with alcohol and superheated break off molecularly and add a delightful element to the stock. Plus it is a great way to describe chemistry and physics to kids and really capture their imagination.

Thermal Cooking

Wrapping the pan saves a lot of energy as well. This wrapping process is called Thermal Cooking. This method – all of it, the tailings, the water, the stone – is also the basis of my FAVORITE childhood story, Stone Soup.

I recognize this is not the most efficient way to cook. But reframe this problem: This is essentially a 14th Century Crock Pot, right?

Last Steps

Once you have strained the broth, store the broth in gallon zip lock bags and lay them flat in your freezer. They keep very well there. Then the tailings can either go to the chickens, worms, or compost, dealer’s choice.

The Foodist: Cabbage and Roguefort Soup

This The Foodist: Cabbage and Roguefort Soup is another amazing soup from the book, The Soups of France by Lois Anne Rothert and Don Smithand it does not disappoint! Lots of delicious fresh vegetables (many from the winter garden!) and butter beans, prosciutto and chunky roquefort cheese. Ooh lala is was good!

If you’re going to try to make this soup, cut the savoy cabbage into smaller more manageable bits. It will still have that classic French country soup flavor, but it will be easier to eat. You will also want to add more water than it calls for!

Rick boiled the tailings from the vegetables and produced an instant vegetable stock that did the trick and really enhanced the flavor. It was quick and easy. Plus it has the added benefit of making the vegetable tailings easier to compost quickly!

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ Cup dried white beans such as Navy or Great Northern
• 2½ Quarts water
• 1 “Beautiful head Savoy cabbage
• 4 Young, slender carrots, peeled
• 2 Turnips, peeled
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Large onion, finely minced
• 1 Slender leek, white and pale green parts only, finely minced
• 1 Celery stalk, finely minced
• ¼ Pound prosciutto or other air-cured ham, finely diced
• 1 Whole clove
• 1 Bouquet Garni (6 Fresh parsley stems, 2 Bay leaves, 2 fresh thyme sprigs tied in large celery stalk)
• 2 Medium-sized waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Ounces Roquefort cheese
• Croûtons made with coarse country bread

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse the beans, then place in a bowl and cover generously with cold water. Soak the beans overnight. The following day, drain, place in a heavy saucepan, and add 1 quart of the water. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve.
2. Cut the cabbage head through the stem end into quarters. Remove the coarse center ribs. Cut each quarter into 2 wedges, making a total of & cabbage pieces. Cut the carrots and turnips into batonnets (small sticks). Reserve the vegetables.
3. Melt the butter in a heavy 10-quart soup pot over low heat. Add the onion, leek, celery, and prosciutto and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are golden, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining 1½ quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the reserved beans and cabbage, the clove and the bouquet garni, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, carrots, and turnips, cover partially, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove the bouquet garni and discard. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Since the ham and Roquefort are quite salty, very little (if any) salt may be needed.
5. Divide the Roquefort evenly among the 6 heated soup plates. Ladle the hot soup over the cheese, sprinkle with the croûtons, and serve immediately.

NOTE

From Richard: This is a colorful and unusual cabbage soup. The vegetables are cut into attractive morsels and are cooked until they are just tender but no longer. Finding nuggets of Roquefort hidden in the steaming, savory soup is a splendid surprise.

If you are lucky enough to have a small piece of country ham on hand, do use it in this dish. It will spread its incomparable fragrance throughout the soup. If you want to stay vegetarian, use a bit of savory portabello mushroom, suateed in butter and garlic and add half to the soup earlier and reserve the rest for the end.

The Foodist: Wilted Dead Nettle Balsamic

I have been waiting to try this for some time. I have dead nettle blooms everywhere at Mezzacello. So I am writing out The Foodist: Wilted Dead Nettle Balsamic with toast and a poached duck egg.

A few facts about Dead Nettle. It is entirely edible and full of health benefits. It tastes like spinach and the little purple flowers are sweet and delicious raw.

I strongly encourage you to wilt it or use it for baking. As the Herbal Academy in the link above mentions, the leaves are hairy, so raw you’re going to taste that. I have always used purple dead nettle as a treat for the rabbits, now I know better!

Also, I apologize for the photo! I was so sure this was not going to work, I didn’t bother to take a photo until after I had tasted it. Shame on me!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Duck eggs
• 2 bowls of room temp water
• 2 Tbsp of vinegar
• 2 Tbsp good balsamic Vinegar
• Large bunch of baby spinach, stems removed (let the baby chicks eat them!)
• Large bunch of dead nettle
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• splash of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• Good bread for toast
• Butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Prep a bowl with water. Add a Tbsp of vinegar. Crack a duck egg into this bowl. Place the bowl into a 1000W microwave for 2:20 minutes at 7 power. Repeat for the second egg – do NOT reuse the water from the first egg!
2. In a pan, add the wine, oil, and a bit of water then throw in the spinach and let it start to wilt. Prep the dead nettle by rinsing it and then chop it up roughly. Hold back long stems and give those to the rabbits! Add the chopped dead nettle and continue to wilt. Add water if it gets too dry. Add in the salt and pepper and the balsamic to flavor.
3. Prep the wilted greens on a plate and add a poached egg. Garnish with nettle flowers and salt and pepper. Serve with toast and butter if you’d like.

The Foodist: Catalan Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup

This soup, The Foodist: Catalan Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup also called Soupe d’Aubergines Catalane is a real treat. Tangy and filling with a rich taste and mouthfeel. The perfect first course for a memorable meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 Plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 4 Tbs fruity olive oil
• 2 Medium-sized onions, chopped
• 4 Cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Medium-sized waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 Quarts water
• 1½ tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Small eggplant, peeled if desired, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• Fresh thyme leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the tomatoes and vinegar in a bowl, toss together, and reserve.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions, stirring often, until lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown.
3. Add the potatoes, red pepper flakes to taste, water, and 1 teaspoon of the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until the potatoes are completely tender, 1o to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F.
4. Working with 1 or 2 ladlefuls at a time, purée the soup in a food mill or a food processor. Return the purée to the saucepan and taste, adding more salt if needed and black pepper to taste. Simmer over very low heat while eggplant is roasting.
5. Toss the eggplant with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½2 teaspoon salt and with black pepper to taste. Spread out the eggplant on a lightly greased baking sheet and brown in the oven for about 10 minutes. Watch closely and turn over any pieces that are getting too brown.
6. When eggplant is ready, ladle the soup into heated soup plates. Top with pieces of eggplant and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Serve at once.

NOTES:

Catalan tomato soups are usually assertive and spicy, and this soup, with its garlic, vinegar, and red pepper flakes, is no exception. Often chunks of eggplant, sautéed in olive oil, are added at serving. To sauté the ever-absorbent eggplant to a golden turn, one usually needs to add more and more oil.

Roasting the eggplant is not a Catalan tradition, but a good solution to the too-much-oil problem. Even less oil is needed at the beginning. And what of the roasted flavor? It’s concentrated and heightened by the browning produced in the high heat of the oven.

Another bonus:

The chunks of eggplant come out of the oven meltingly tender but still holding their original shape. The eggplant may or may not be peeled. I think the skin on roasted eggplant tastes a little bitter, so I remove it, a personal choice. Another option is to grill slices of eggplant, cut them into chunks, and add those to the soup.

The French aubergine is derived from the Catalan auberginia, which the Catalans, in turn, adopted from the Arabic. Hence, a little etymology relates the histoire of the arrival of eggplant into southern France. This recipe was gathered from the fantastic cookbook The soups of France.

The Foodist: Frog Legs in Watercress Cream

If you have never tried frogs legs, or if you have only eaten them fried (as they are usually prepared), this recipe is a revelation. Flavored by both the tender bones and meat of the legs, the sumptuous cream soup delivers the meat, lean and moist, simmered to exceptional tenderness.

It is also a beautiful soup. The watercress leaves cannot completely purée due to their short cooking time. This retains their fresh flavor and the vivid color as well. The soup becomes a pale green flecked with dark green bits.

Sylvaner wine is sometimes difficult to find in the United States, but often a nice, crisp Alsatian white of Pinot Blanc grapes is blended with some Sylvaner. That wine is perfect for this soup and for sipping, too.

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ Cup unsalted butter
• 18 Pair small frogs’ legs
• 1 Shallot, finely minced
• ½ Cup long-grain white rice
• 6 to 7 Cups water
• 1 Bottle (750 ML.) Alsatian Sylvaner (a white fruity wine)
• I tsp salt
• 4 Cups watercress leaves, or 2 cups each  watercress and sorrel leaves
• 2 Egg yolks
• 2 Cups crème fraîche or heavy cream
• Pinch of freshly ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a heavy 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the frogs legs and shallot and cook, stirring gently, until the shallot is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice, 6 cups of the water, the wine, and the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the rice is very tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place a small baking pan in a 250°F oven. Remove the stems from the watercress (and sorrel) leaves. Reserve a few watercress leaves for garnish. Add the leaves to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes more.
3. Take the frogs legs out of the pot and remove the meat from the bones. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bones and place the meat in the preheated baking pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and return to the oven. Working with 1 or 2 ladlefuls at a time, purée the soup in a blender or food processor, processing each batch 30 seconds until very smooth. Return the purée to the soup pot and reheat.
4. Whisk together the egg yolks and crème fraîche in a small bowl. Whisk in a ladleful or two of the hot puréed soup. Slowly add the egg mixture to the soup while whisking constantly. Add the reserved meat from the frogs legs and as much of the remaining 1 cup water as needed to achieve a good consistency. Reheat gently over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow to boil.
5. Taste and add more salt if needed and the white pepper. Serve in heated soup plates and garnish with the reserved watercress leaves.

The Foodist: Classic Roasted Chicken

This recipe, The Foodist: Classic Roasted Chicken is a crowd pleaser and a really easy meal. The roughest part of this recipe is the peeling of vegetables and prep. But the bones, skin, fat, peels, and ends make a terrific chicken stock!

Fresh is best. I also like to start with a mire poix, as it is always really good with chicken. This also flavors the au jus in the pan delightfully.

This is a hearty meal with a terrific gravy. If you can, serve this with bread, serve it on bread to collect all that good juice. Bon appetit!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 roasting chicken or chicken halves
• 2 turnips, peeled and large cubes
• 2 potatoes, peeled and large cubes
• 2 carrots, peeled and large chunks
• 2 celery, chopped
• 2 onions, peeled, haved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic sliced in quarters
• 1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp garlic olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Prep and dry the chicken. Season all sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. It is at this point that you will want to flatten the chicken or cut apart. Set chicken to the side.
4. In a cast iron pan heat butter and a tsp of oil. Add onions and garlic and sweat for 15 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables, broth, and herbs. Let cook for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Add the contents of the cast iron pan to a glass pan, or cook the chicken in the cast iron pan. Either way, add the chicken to the top of the vegetables, add salt and pepper and garlic oil to coat and place into the hot oven.
6. Cook for 40 minutes or until chicken’s internal temperature is 160F or more.
7. Remove from the oven. Let rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

The Foodist: Butter Is Better Fresh

In this post, The Foodist: Butter Is Better Fresh we discuss the merits and relative ease of making butter from fresh cream. I’ve used fresh goat and cow milk as well, but it’s harder to get fresh unprocessed milk in a city. Regardless the recipe remains the same.

You’ll need a mixer (a stand mixer works best) and most definitely a towel or two. You’ll want a clean bowl (to hold the whey) and a mold or butter dish for this yellow gold! Also, it’s completely up to you if you want to add salt, or herbs – go crazy and be creative.

INGREDIENTS

• Fresh heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. In a steel or glass bowl (preferably in a stand mixer) add the heavy whipping cream and start mixing at high speed. You may need a towel over the mixer and bowl to control splashes.
2. If you are adding salt or herbs, you can add them now, but you may not want to use the whey later to make ricotta cheese.
3. Increase speed to max. Keep bowl covered, checking on it occasionally. It is normal for the cream to increase in volume just before the butter collapses into butter and whey.
4. When the sound from the mixer sounds like sloshing, check the bowl, your butter is done.
5. Collect the butter and place it into a clean colander. Do NOT compress the butter, you need to thoroughly rinse it to remove the excess whey. Any way left on the butter will mold quickly.
6. When the butter is clean and water washes away clear, you’re done. Squeeze the butter into a mold and enjoy!