All about herbs: tuscan scrambled eggs, pomegranate-mint iced tea, and smoked salmon & sweetpea risotto

Literally all I did last Thursday was work-out, research food, cook, and eat -- maybe answer a couple of e-mails.  So today's post is full of deliciousness!

I'm a big believer in keeping fresh herbs around.  I remember talking to this young professional at a networking event, and she said that herbs can be so expensive -- and I totally get that.  I actually invested in a basil plant from the Philadelphia Flower Show this year, and it was only $4.  You can usually buy potted herbs from your local nursery, at times even your local grocery store.  Sometimes they even sell multiple kinds of herbs in one pot.  If you remind yourself to take care of it (water it and leave it by the sun), it is definitely a good investment.  If you find that you aren't using it, there are ways to dry them and keep them for a long time so they don't go to waste.  [I actually never have this problem because I always find I can add my basil in a salad, scrambled eggs, pasta, etc. -- my friends actually make fun of me because I put it in anything!]

The next three dishes have basil, mint, and parsley, respectively.  Hope you love them as much as we did!

My Tuscan Scrambled Eggs

These are my favorite scrambled eggs -- I make them at least once a week.  

Ingredients
(serves 1)

canola oil or olive oil

handful torn basil leaves

two slices chopped tomato

half a slice of provolone cheese (one of my favorite cheeses, just half to keep it light)

three eggs, keeping only one of the yolks

pinch salt, pepper

How I did it

After heating a non-stick pan, add a bit of oil to coat the pan.  Add the tomato with a pinch of salt, to create the flavor base for the scrambled eggs.  After sauteeing them for a minute, add the eggs, stirring them occasionally to scramble them.  After a minute or so when they are cooking but still wet, add the basil leaves.  After mixing for about 30 seconds, add the cheese and let it melt -- the cheese brings everything together.  Cook to your desired consistency.

Pomegranate-Mint Iced Tea

I decided it was too hot for my mom's afternoon cup of elaichi wali chai -- so I decided to make her something that would give her a much needed dose of caffeine with something that's cold, refreshing, and packed with antioxidants (see here for more about the health benefits of pomegranate).  It was delicious!

Ingredients
(serves about 5)

3 1/2 tea mugs of water

3 teabags (I used Lipton)

1/2 juice of a lemon

2 slices of lemon

handful of mint

1 1/2 to 2 cups of Minute Maid pomegranate lemonade (taste it to see if you want it more sweet)

How I did it

Pour water over teabags into a pitcher (tie them or tape them to the handle so they don't get lost!).  Steep for 4 minutes.  Remove tea bags, keep in fridge to cool.  After about an hour, add mint and stir.  Leave it in the fridge for another hour.  Then, add the lemon juice and pomegranate lemonade, and stir.  Add to a tall glass with ice cubes and garnish with a sprig of mint.  Enjoy with good company :-)

Smoked Salmon & Sweet Pea Risotto

Before this dish, I had never made risotto before.  I found out that it is delicious, but beware: it can kill your arm from all the stirring... nevertheless, my family really enjoyed it for dinner -- and that's what it's about!  

If you aren't a fan of either smoked salmon or sweet peas, experiment with some other things in the risotto and tell me about it in the comments section just below the post!  (If you're looking at the post from the main page,  you'll have to click the # Comments link next to the Labels).

Ingredients
(serves about 6 - or dinner for 3 twice!)

16 oz. package of arborio rice, washed thoroughly (note: many people say not to wash it because it needs the starch while cooking, but I accidentally did it out of habit and read about that tip afterwards -- it was still fantastic!)

3/4 cup frozen peas, blanched

4 oz. package of chopped smoked salmon

handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock

3/4 cup good dry white wine (I used a Chardonnay, it adds a buttery element to the richness of the dish)

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

half a white onion, chopped

two cloves garlic, minced

Zest of a lemon
Juice of a lemon
few dollops of Mascarpone cheese

Salt, pepper

How I did it

Heat stock in a sauce pan, bring it to a simmer.  You will need the liquid to simmer throughout the risotto cooking process.

Melt butter with oil in a big heated pan.  Add onion, cook over medium heat for a minute, then add garlic and stir.  Turn the heat down, zest the lemon over the pan.  After a minute, turn the heat to low-medium and add arborio rice.  Let it 'toast' for 2-3 minutes, until it has gotten a little color.  Add in 1/2 cup wine, stirring until wine has evaporated.  Then, one ladle and some at a time, add the simmering stock to the pan, stirring until that much has evaporated (see picture below - the bottom of the pan should like kind of like that).  

Continue this process (it will probably take about 40 minutes).    When the last bit of stock is left, turn the heat down so the risotto doesn't get too sticky.  Stir in the last bit of liquid until evaporated (at this point I also added an extra splash of wine).  Stir in the parsley, blanched peas, chopped smoked salmon, lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and turn off immediately.  Cover the risotto, letting it rest for a couple minutes.  Add a few dollops of the mascarpone and garnish with lemon slices and parsley. Eat while hot with the rest of that delicious white wine, and as always, enjoy with good company :-)