Caramelized Spring Onion Fried Eggs

I was pretty sure that you could caramelize spring onions. You totally can.



Ingredients:
1 t unsalted butter
2 small spring onions, sliced (or one large one; I had two small red ones)
1 T water
1 T unsalted butter
2 eggs
salt and pepper TT
about 1 oz cheese, sliced (I had Comte)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add the teaspoon of butter. Quickly add the the onion and allow to blacken slightly, for about 2 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium, add the water and the remaining butter. Add a little salt to help break the onion down and encourage caramelization.*
4. Add the eggs and season.
5. Cook for a couple of minutes per side, but be careful!

Yeah, when you already have stuff in the pan and you add eggs to fry, the stuff makes it a lot more likely that the yolk will rupture if, like me, you're a little clumsy. Whatever; melted cheese covers all mistakes.

6. Transfer to a plate, cover with cheese slices, and put in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

*Nerd alert: Salt ruptures the cell walls in all food, allowing the water inside to escape. Once the water pretty much leaves the item, it can cook at a higher temperature, because water keeps the temperature at its evaporation point, 212 degrees F, and caramelization usually happens at over 300 degrees F.

Spring Salad

A kind of fussy salad, but a good salad.

this is a condensed-format recipe, designed for a pocket recipe book called "Learn to Cook" I made and gave out to random people at the Pike Market for a few months in 2009. some of the ingredients may be difficult to find outside of the market, and can be substituted or disregarded.

1/4 C hazelnuts [rough chop]
1 head bibb/butter lettuce [rough chop or tear bite-sized]
2 oz pecorino romano cheese [dice]
[combine these in a large bowl]

1 Fuji (or any) apple [dice]
1/2 bu thick asparagus [slice 1/2" thick]
2 T oil
[saute asparagus in oil over medium-high heat until tender, about 2 minutes. turn off heat and add apple to cool the pan.]
[when the asparagus is cooled but not yet cold, pour the asparagus/apple mix over the lettuce mix.]

1 lemon [juice]
1 t soy sauce
1/2 t agave nectar
1 pinch black pepper
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
[toss everything together and serve]

Spinach Salad with Peanuts and Oranges

Ingredients:

3 large russet potatoes, medium diced

2 T Oil

1T Salt

1 t pepper

2 bunches spinach

2 T Oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 head garlic, peeled and sliced

1 t. salt

½ t. pepper

2 lemons, juiced

3 bell peppers, julienned

2-3 oranges, cut into bite sized chunks

2/3 C. peanuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Toss potatoes with 2 T oil, 1 T salt, 1 t pepper. Roast in oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Wash spinach, dry, and cut into bite-sized pieces.

4. Preheat sauté pan, add 2 T oil and heat, then add onion and garlic. Brown well, but don’t burn! Caramelize for 15-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.

5. Remove onions and garlic, then add the lemon juice to the pan. Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon. This is the salad dressing.

6. In a bowl, combine the spinach, caramelized onions & garlic, roasted potatoes, oranges, bell peppers & peanuts, and drizzle the dressing over it.