E is for Eggs, Edamame, Escarole & Ed!

When I was little growing up in Afghanistan, I loved going to my grandfather's house for breakfast. He was a proud general in the Afghan Army. He was very masculine, very tall, very much the patriarch. It was a source of pride for him that he had sired multiple sons and grandsons.

But, for whatever reason, he and I were very close, very much attached. We had a connection. It was unusual because I was a granddaugther, a female, not a male child. Not that he didn't love his granddaughters. He loved them very much in fact. But to actually go out of his way to spend time with me was unusal for that time and the society. He loved me so much, he thought so highly of me, even at such a young age. He always told me I was the smartest of all his babies. I would laugh and laugh because I wasn't even kindergarten yet!

When the war began, no one really had much and food was heavily rationed. My grandfather always shared his fried eggs with me, even if it was going to be his only substantial meal for the day. The memory of sitting on the floor together, tearing hot baked bread and dipping it in the delicious salty yolks, then carefully sipping hot, hot, hot green tea after each bite....I cherish those memories with all my heart.

You know, I am terrified of dementia later in life, because it would rob me of these memories of my grandfather. I never saw him again after we fled Afghanistan. He stayed behind to take care of our family that couldn't get out. We talked by phone a few times over the next couple of decades, I sent money to help out and gifts to make him smile, and a few years ago he passed away. One of the million reasons I have a burning, seething hatred for all things Soviet, all things Communist.

To this day one of my favorite meals is fried eggs, fresh bread, and hot tea. May he rest in peace, my Baba Jahn.
Milo: "Mama is a little sad now. She's sniffling and wiping her eyes. I can tell she misses her grandpa. So, I'll take over & let you know that I LOVE EGGS TOO! Mama says they are one of the purest forms of clean protein. We get scrambled eggs mixed in with our kibble as a special treat a couple of times a month."
Laverne & Shirley: "We wish she'd let us have them more often! But Mama says we get plenty of treats and we should have a variety. Whatever that means! We just want more, more, more. Doesn't she know we have bottomless tummies?"

Milo: "Mama told us about another Golden named Jake who has a plate of scrambled eggs for breakfast with his kibble every day. He was rescued from the same place Mama got us. Jake even swam from Alcatraz. He's kind of a big deal. You can read about him here: http://www.grcglarescue.org/RP_WebDoc.asp?ttid=160"

Captain Morgan: "That Mommy lady also loves edamame. (What?! What's a Mame? Who's your Mame?) I can hear her crunchin' on them all the time. Sometimes she can be nice and lets me have one. It's pretty good, for "hippie" food."
Ok, I'm back. I got a little choked up there reliving old memories. But, I do love edamame! Some of you may know them as soybeans. Great as a snack, appetizer, or addition to soups and salads. I go through a couple of bags a month. Who's your Mame? Edamame! Ha ha ha! That always makes me laugh.
"E" is also for ESCAROLE in our house. It is a variety of ENDIVE and has kind of a spicy afterbite. You can easily mistake it for a variety of lettuce, but it is far more complex than that. The outer leaves are darker and you can give it a quick saute with garlic & olive oil, kind of like spinach. The inner leaves are lighter and are delicious in salads.

My favorite way to enjoy escarole is in a hearty soup, like our Tuscan white bean & escarole soup. We made it a few weeks ago and once again, I've got a ton of "recipe" photos to share with you. Hope you like..... I start the base as usual, with chopped onions sauteed in a little bit of olive oil-

Then in go the chopped garlic & chopped sun-dried tomatoes. FYI-we LOVE garlic, I think there are like 6 or 8 cloves here, but you don't have to add as much. We're just addicts.
Then it's time for the chopped white mushrooms-
Add a little bit of coarse kosher salt to make the mushrooms "sweat"-
After that's cooked down for a few minutes, I add equal parts chicken broth & water along with a sprig of fresh rosemary, or thyme if that's what you've got handy-

At this point I add one of my favorite "secret" ingredients. Our Auntie A gave me a gift of Stonewall Kitchen's Garden Harvest Seasoning and I've been hooked ever since. It is a gorgeous blend of dried herbs and spices, and a good tablespoon in anything I cook gives it amazing flavor. If she hadn't given it to me as a gift I would have never known it even existed. It comes in the cutest littel pot bellied jar.

Then it is time to take out some of my turkey meatballs from the freezer. I make them in large batches and bake them. I freeze them to use in soups, sauces, whatever. The "big balls" are for sauces and such. The "little balls" are for things like our escarole soup. I make them with oatmeal and some other stuff and they are soooo good. And soooo healthy. But, we're not talking about balls right now, little or otherwise.
I find a tin purse of frozen little balls in the freezer. They're ready for their dive into the savory soup....
....wheeee!

I simmer the soup for a while to let the little balls heat up and all the flavors get a chance to marry. I don't add much salt because the meatballs have parmesan in them & the chicken broth also has sodium, so that will help add flavor to the soup. In the meantime, I've chopped a GIANT bowl of "E"SCAROLE and drained & rinsed a couple of cans of cannelini beans. (Otherwise known as white kidney beans, but you can use any bean you like really. There are no rules.)
Since I'm using canned, I don't have to add the beans early in order for them cook & soften. So I add them at the same time as the escarole.
Ooooooh, escarole!!!! Cover and simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes and....
....VOILA! Tuscan white bean & escarole soup with little balls. And some fresh grated parmesan on top. And some cracked pepper. And some love. Happy, happy eating. And very healthy. So, when ya comin' over for dinner to Casa KBL? You get an extra bowl if you have rescue animals in your possession. ;-) E is also for Edward, my Belov-Ed. Have you ever loved another so much that you get this insatiable urge to just take a bite? Not even one little, wittle, eensy, weensy bite? Come on, admit it. You know you have. When he's especially sweet or makes me laugh, I just want to bite his cheeks. Just to see if he tastes as sweet as he is. I swear, I'm not a vampire. ;-) Well, maybe I am. But only for this one---
That's all for E folks!!! Please check out Jen's blog at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/ and see what other "e"xcellent bloggers have done with one of my favorite letters of the alphabet. See ya next week!