Eggs Florentine Plus

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 10-ounce package ready-cut fresh spinach, stems trimmed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 12 ounces smoked turkey breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Toasted country-style bread

Rinse porcini under running water; place in bowl. Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan. Pour over porcini. Let stand until soft, about 30 minutes.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 3 minutes. Arrange spinach in bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour, stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in mushrooms with their soaking liquid and cream. Boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes. Mix in turkey. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Crack eggs open over spinach, spacing evenly. Spoon turkey mixture around eggs, leaving yolks exposed. Sprinkle Parmesan over. Bake until eggs are just set, about 15 minutes. Serve with toasted bread.

Serves 6.

from Bon Appétit, October 1995 via Epicurious

Ham, Fontina, and Spinach Bread Pudding

• 1 large baguette (about 3/4 lb)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 qt whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 6 cups spinach leaves (about 1 bunch), coarsely chopped
• 3/4 lb Fontina cheese, grated or swiss cheese and smoked gouda

Preheat broiler.

Diagonally cut baguette crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices and brush both sides with butter. Cut into crouton-sized chunks. Toast on a baking sheet under broiler 3 inches from heat until golden, about 30 seconds on each side. (Buttering and toasting bread step can be omitted if short on time.)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Saute onions in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add ham and saute, stirring occasionally, until ham is lightly browned.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl and whisk in milk, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Add toasted bread and toss gently. Transfer bread as saturated to a shallow, buttered 3-quart casserole. Add any remaining egg mixture.

Tuck spinach, ham, and cheese amidst bread. Bake in middle of oven 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed and edges of bread are golden and custard is set in middle.

Cook's note: Bread pudding can be assembled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Increase baking time to 1 hour and 10 minutes if bread pudding is cold when put in oven, and cover top with foil after 45 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Serve with a sliced fennel bulb and apple, minced shallots with celery and roasted walnut salad.

Makes 6 servings

Saag Panir (Curried Spinach Soup with Cheese and Bell Pepper)

• 6 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup oil (peanut, vegetable, or coconut -- not olive oil) or ghee
• flour, for dredging
• 2 tablespoons oil (peanut, vegetable, or coconut -- not olive oil) or ghee
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• Kosher salt
• 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 to 3 jalapeno, serrano, or Thai peppers, seeded and minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1/2 cup rice, toasted and ground
• 4 cups whey, saved from cheese-making process
• 2 1/2 pounds fresh spinach
• 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. To make the cheese, pour the milk into a stockpot. Turn the heat to high and leave uncovered. While waiting for the milk to reach a boil (about 30 minutes), place 3 layers of cheesecloth in a wire-mesh strainer and tape the cheesecloth around the edges so the hot cheese cannot pull it away from the mesh. Place the strainer over a storage container in order to save the whey for the stock.

2. When the milk begins to boil, add 1/4 cup lemon juice and stir. In a few seconds the milk should begin to separate. The color will change from opaque white to a cloudy greenish-yellowish color. You should begin to find clumps of thick white stuff floating around in the pot. This is good! Take the pot off the burner and slowly pour the liquid through the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Once the soup pot is empty, wash it. Allow the whey to drip through the mech until most of it has dripped. Pull up the cheesecloth around the cheese. Keep the strainer over the storage container. Carefully squeeze the cheesecloth-wrapped curds to get the rest of the water out. This will be very hot! Keep a bowl of ice water nearby to cool your fingers. Continue squeezing the curds until you have removed most of the exess water.

3. Place a large, heavy, flat object on top of the cheesecloth-wrapped cheese and let it sit for at least 6 hours, overnight if possible. If you have room in your refrigerator, place the cheese with its weight there to cool down. (I like to turn a pie tin upside down, place the cheesecloth-wrapped cheese on top of it, place another pie tin right-side-up on top of it, and then place the weight in the top pie tin.)

4. When the cheese is very firm remove it from the pie tins. Pull off the cheesecloth and discard.

5. Cut the cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Dredge the cubes in flour so they will not stick together. Heat the oil in a small pot until hot enough for frying. In batches, carefully place the cubes in the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to soak up any excess grease. Set aside.

6. To make the soup, heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and saute until golden. Add the onion and stir well. Add 1 tablespoon salt and stir again. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the ginger and the peppers and mix well. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Add the garam masala and ground rie and mix well. Add 1 cup of the reserved whey or water. Mix well, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.

8. Add the spinach in four batches. After each batch stir to mix well, cover, and let the spinach reduce.

9. Once all the spinach has decreased in size, add 3 more cups of whey and stir well. Cover and let reach a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 20 minutes.

10. Puree the soup in batches. Press through a strainer into a storage container. Discard any lumps left in the strainer.

11. Wash out the soup pot. Place the soup back in the pot. Add the coconut milk, red bell peppers, and the fried cheese. Place back on the stove, cover, and let simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

12. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Serve with naan or chapati. You may substitute tofu for fresh cheese -- just fry half a pound of it as you would the cheese.

from S.O.U.P.S.: Seattle's Own Undeniably Perfect Soups 10 servings 3 hours prep time + overnight

Javanese Roasted Salmon and Wilted Spinach

• 1/4 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
• 4 7-ounce salmon fillets
• 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach

Preheat oven to 400F. Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sugar; whisk until mixture is melted and smooth and begins to bubble, about 4 minutes. Whisk in lime juice and soy sauce. Increase heat and boil until reduced to 3/4 cups, about 2 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture and boil until thick, about 3 minutes. Set sauce aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, cook salmon until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet. Spoon 1 tablespoon sauce over each fillet. Roast until fish is opaque in center, about 5 minutes.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add spinach and toss until wilted but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using tongs, divide spinach among 4 plates. Top each with salmon fillet; drizzle with remaining sauce and serve.

amounts reflect halved recipe sauce very good - unusual flavor; be sure to add enough brown sugar

4 servings