Gourmet Monday

Well, sure enough, Lu was waiting in my driveway when I got home. I helped her carry some things in and, while she was parking her truck in the garage and rearranging it, I changed clothes.

We chatted a while, went outside so I could show her all my gardens (she missed them the last time - of course they all look pretty shabby now), she grabbed all the ripe Roma tomatoes and then it was back inside and I started dinner.

I slowly warmed up the shrimp bisque I made Sunday and started to make the entr�e. First I scrambled 10 large eggs and a pinch of salt with a whisk and set them aside. I used my mandoline to slice three small zucchini squash into 1/8 inch slices. I melted some butter over medium heat in my non-stick, oven-proof pan and when it foamed, I tossed in the squash and a little salt. I saut�ed it for about 30 seconds, then tossed in two tablespoons each of chopped fresh oregano and flat leaf parsley and saut�ed all that for another 30 seconds. Then I poured in the eggs, stirring everything to get the eggs mixed in with the squash. I let that cook over medium-low heat for about 3 - 4 minutes, using a spatula to pull the cooked eggs from the sides of the pan and let the runny egg get down the sides. When it had set up except for the top, I crumbled up 5 ounces of plain goat cheese on top (no stirring now!) and let it cook another minute or so, then stuck the pan in the oven under the broiler until the top was golden brown.

Lu had brought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (she drinks a glass of wine a night for health reasons) so we each had a glass with dinner.

I took out the pan and let it rest, covered on the stove, while I served the soup. I garnished each bowl with a little orange zest and some snipped chives. Lu seemed to really like it, but I thought the shrimp were a little tougher than the first time I made this. Of course, the first time I made it, I ate it right away. This time I made it, let it set in the fridge overnight, and then reheated it. Thinking about it, next time if I'm not going to serve it immediately, I'll wait and not cook the shrimp until just before serving. Oh well, live and learn.

Next, the moment of truth. Can I get the zucchini and goat cheese frittata out of the pan, whole? It's all in the presentation, right? Yes!! I did it!!! Slid it onto the plate, garnished it with a little more flat leaf parsley and cut it into six wedges.

Hmmm... This one's a little tougher for us to critique. It's very mild (only seasoning was there herbs and a little salt, not even pepper), the zucchini is crunchy (a bit unusual, but not bad, actually), the goat cheese adds a definitely different flavor and, while the eggs crust was about perfect, there's not too much "egg" flavor in the zucchini. I think next time I make it; I would back off just a bit on the amount of zucchini and stir much more to incorporate the eggs throughout.

We cleaned up the dishes and then sat in the living room and talked until after 8:00 PM. Then we watched a Hallmark movie I'd taped. Luanne went off to bed and I read until about 11:00, when I noticed I was nodding off, so I, too, went to sleep.