Greek pasta salad [porter]

Greek pasta salad

To give full credit, I subscribe to a twice-weekly recipe newsletter from PureWow.  Usually I don't have good applications for these recipes because they are designed to impress friends at a dinner party (read: strawberry soup), and often times they call for expensive or rare ingredients.  Just when I thought I might unsubscribe, this Greek pasta salad popped into my inbox.  With relatively attainable ingredients and a prep time that fits into my schedule, I gave it a shot.  The grocery bill came out a bit steep (about $25 for the ingredients I didn't already have), but it fed 2 mouths last night and probably will make 3-4 more individual meals this week (fantastic leftovers for lunch!).  That math comes out to about $4 per meal per person...not too shabby.

Adopted from Susie Middleton's The Fresh & Green Table
Ingredients:
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
zest from one lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried dill (optional)
1 tsp salt, divided
pepper to taste
1 sm red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 can or jar of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (can use whole can...I wanted left over artichoke)
1 pint small grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped and divided (dried will probably work, but the fresh was delicious)
12oz fusilli pasta (any curly pasta works)
5 handfuls of spinach
1/3 c chopped walnuts
12 small pepperoncini, drained and thickly sliced

The how to:
Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, honey, dill, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Add red onion, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, feta, and 1 tbsp oregano. Stir to coat ingredients and let sit for about 20 min.  Prepare pasta according to package instructions.  Right before pasta is done, add spinach, walnuts, and pepperoncini to the top of the large bowl (do not mix in).  Drain the pasta and pour on top of the ingredients in the large bowl.  Add remaining salt and oregano.  The heat from the pasta will slightly wilt/cook the spinach.  After 2 min, stir spinach and pasta to evenly incorporate and coat in dressing.

Side notes:
The original recipe called for some tapenade in the dressing, but since Fiance doesn't like olives that much, I left it out (I figured he could pick out the whole olives if inclined).  The first 8 ingredients make a great salad dressing on their own.    For the remaining ingredients, you can increase, decrease, or omit based on your tastes.  For example, I only used half of the artichoke hearts recommended in the original recipe because I hope Fiance and I will make chicken and artichoke pizza with the remainder.  I didn't think of it until I left the grocery, but cucumber might be a nice addition to this salad.  I also used more pasta than the original recipe because I wanted to make sure this made multiple meals.  Zesting the lemon and not using the juice seemed like a waste, so we made gin and tonics with the juice from half a lemon in each.  The gin competed a bit with the balsamic in the recipe so I'd make this a before dinner or an after dinner drink.  Lastly, we added sliced peppered salami to serve because the Fiance doesn't like to call it a main dish if there isn't protein.

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everything you ever wanted to know about eggs [paisley]

Eggs are a basic ingredient in the foods of several cultures (and a basic ingredient of life!).  Breakfast, lunch and dinner put this handy, accessible food into use in many different ways.  They can be scrambled, fried, boiled, and baked as a feature, or mixed, dipped, and beaten to serve as a binder.  The inspiration for this post came from explaining to my dad that olive oil shouldn't be used on the grill because of the high heat and low smoking point of the oil.  I suggested that he should apply the seasonings straight to the salmon or try an egg-white dip to get heavier coatings to stick.  He then asked, "well, isn't an egg dip less healthy?"  And here we are.

There are 3 main parts to an egg: the shell, the white, and the yolk.  The color of the shell varies based on the species of the animal that lays it.  Chicken eggs are by far the most widely used and typically come in white, brown or pink.  Nutritional value is the same regardless of the shell color.  The white acts as a barrier to the yolk and is mostly water with a bit of protein in the make up.  The amount of water and protein decreases over time creating an air pocket, but more on that later.  Finally, the yolk contains the majority of the nutrients, good and questionable, found in an egg.

So, to answer my dad's question, egg whites have no adverse dietary effects whether used as a binding dip or as the main feature in an egg white omelet.  However, the white offers very little nutritional value on its own.

Now for the yolk.  If you are conscious of your cholesterol levels, you probably don't eat the yolk (this is where all of the cholesterol in the egg exists).  However, consider the reasoning on World's Healthiest Foods that blood cholesterol levels are affected most by saturated fats, not raw cholesterol found in foods.  In addition, research shows that 1-2 eggs a day will not harm blood cholesterol levels or significantly increase heart attack risk; in fact, studies show that eggs can actually improve the LDL to HDL ratio.

Other benefits of eggs (all from WHFoods):
Protein - the type found in eggs may help to prevent blood clots
Choline - benefits brain health and it's anti-inflammatory characteristics help to prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, and type-2 diabetes (other sources of choline include soybeans, cod, chicken and salmon - with eggs and soybeans being the highest concentrations).
Aids in weight-loss

USDA egg grades, AA, A, and B are based upon the quality of the shell, the size of the air pocket in the more pointy end of the shell, and the quality of the white and yolk.  From the Agricultural Marketing Service:

AA Quality
The shell must be clean, unbroken, and practically normal. The air cell must not exceed 1/8 inch in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly. The white must be clear and firm so that the yolk is only slightly defined when the egg is twirled before the candling light. The yolk must be practically free from apparent defects.

A Quality
The shell must be clean, unbroken, and practically normal. The air cell must not exceed 3/16 inch in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly. The white must be clear and at least reasonably firm so that the yolk outline is only fairly well defined when the egg is twirled before the candling light. The yolk must be practically free from apparent defects.

B Quality
The shell must be unbroken, may be abnormal, and may have slightly stained areas. Moderately stained areas are permitted if they do not cover more than 1/32 of the shell surface if localized, or 1/16 of the shell surface if scattered. Eggs having shells with prominent stains or adhering dirt are not permitted. The air cell may be over 3/16 inch in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly. The white may be weak and watery so that the yolk outline is plainly visible when the egg is twirled before the candling light. The yolk may appear dark, enlarged, and flattened, and may show clearly visible germ development but no blood due to such development. It may show other serious defects that do not render the egg inedible. Small blood spots or meat spots (aggregating not more than 1/8 inch in diameter) may be present.

Store eggs pointy end down in the refrigerator in a closed container so they will dry out slower and be less likely to take on the smells of nearby foods.  Eggs should last 2-4 weeks in the fridge.  To test the freshness, place in a bowl of water, if they float, then they are bad.

Tips for cooking: Use fresh, new eggs for frying, baking, or any case where you need to whip to peaks (meringue, souffle, etc.).  The white will be more firm and will lend to easier flipping when frying and a stronger structure when baking or whipping.  Older eggs are still good for boiling and scrambling as the more liquid structure will not have a negative effect on the outcome (but still make sure they are fresh eggs).

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