March 12, 2012: Lunch: Zucchini and onion frittata, sauteed kale with mushrooms, and more,

Oh dear.  What if writing about meals gone by just sends me to the kitchen for more and more cooking.  Long list of things to do today--only coffee for breakfast--so now more than hungry for lunch.

Since I'm now recording  what I eat when alone--I'll have to list the all too many lunch dishes consumed today.  First, the left-over zucchini frittata from brunch with Carol yesterday.  It's different every time, depending on what's around-- aI think I added the roasted tomatoes to this one--but the basic recipe is:  Onion and zucchini frittata 

There was more than this one sliver--but it was eaten before I thought of the photo op.  Also devoured pre-photo, the last few roasted asparagus and roasted string beans.

I'm also cooking  the kale I bought at whole foods last week (it was getting a bit yellow around the edges--but still good to go).

I cooked the kale with some of the other vegetables I've been compulsively buying this week.

SAUTEED KALE WITH ONIONS, MUSHROOMS AND SMOKED PAPRIKA:

INGREDIENTS:
One bunch of kale (as pictured)
One half large onion, chopped
Three cloves garlic, chopped.
Six or seven crimini mushrooms, sliced
Vegetable broth or water
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Smoked Paprika
Lemon

Pull the leaves away from the thick stems.  Chop the stems into  1/2-1 inch bits.
In a heavy-duty skillet large enough to hold the kale, saute the onion and garlic along with the pepper flakes and smoked paprika (to taste--remember you can always add more later).  When the onions are soft, add the stems and cook for another five or ten minutes--until they are a bit softer--while they're cooking you can slice the leaves into relatively small pieces (ribboning is fine), and slice the mushrooms as well.
Add the mushrooms, cook another couple of minutes--then add the leaves with a few tablespoons of vegetable broth (maybe more).  If you don't have broth on hand--water is fine.  Cook until leaves are tender.  Serve with a splash of lemon juice if you want it even more lively.

This recipe made a massive amount.  I only ate a small plate's worth.

I am indeed spending an inordinate time on lunch activities--but perhaps this is just the introductory moment.

And there's more: tiny little slivers of salami (provenance unknown--found it wrapped in brown paper in the fridge), topped with a bit of camembert (that provenance is known--in whole foods last week, uncharacteristically swooning over the cheese counter--I spotted in a basket of tiny cheese samples--not free samples--but fragments under four dollars--a camembert from Old Chatham, New York, where both Liz and Ann had lived together many years ago.  I had to buy a piece for each of them.

And while  I was emptying the crisper, I spotted four persian cucumbers and a bunch of radishes--so I had to make a very simple salad:
INGREDIENTS:
Cucumbers
Radishes
Scallions
Seasoned Rice Vinegar
Soy Sauce.

Slice cucumbers and radishes very fine.  Chop scallions (you could also chop dill, parsley, whatever).  Splash on a bit of rice vinegar and soy sauce--and that was lunch.