Munch a Brunch of Egg Foo Young

Lately I’ve been living my Sundays in reverse order; that is, enjoying brunch at dinnertime.   You know, there’s something slightly decadent about ending the weekend with a lazy, relaxed spread featuring eggs and all the trimmings. 

 

Since I’m still on my lentil sprout kick, this past Sunday I faced the additional challenge of incorporating my burgeoning sprout supply into a brunch item.  One look at the odds and ends in the fridge and the brilliant idea of egg foo young emerged.

Exactly!  I’d simply replace the usual mung beans with my prize sprouts, and instead of frying up little individual pancakes, I’d create a big, fat frittata.   In no time, I had one opulent jumbo egg foo young cut into wedges and draped with a gingery Asian brown sauce.   

I’ve made a few wicked Spanish frittatas, but this crazy combination pushed all the right buttons and handily satisfied a sudden craving for Chinese take-out, too!  It’s a perfect night-time brunch― plenty of crispy veggies all bound together by eggs and humming with zingy garlic and ginger.  Of course, ham would be a nice addition in the omelet, or on the side. Try it with rice or couscous and a fresh fruit melange such as melons and strawberries. 

Egg Foo Young Frittata

Inspired by Rachel Ray’s Egg Foo Young  

Ingredients:

·         2 tsp oil, divided

·         1 onion, sliced

·         1 large clove garlic, minced

·         ginger root, 1 tsp grated

·         1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

·         ½ cup grated carrot

·         1 heaping cup cabbage or bok choy

·         1/2 cup sliced red pepper

·         3 scallions, chopped

·         1-2 cups lentil sprouts

·         8 eggs

·         salt and pepper

Brown Sauce

·         1 cup chicken stock or 1 bouillon cube and 1 cup boiling water

·         3 Tbsp soy sauce

·         1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet

·         1 Tbsp cornstarch

·         1 tsp hot sauce

·         ½” thick slice ginger

·         dash red pepper flakes

Directions: 

In a 2 cup ovenproof measurer place brown sauce ingredients and stir to combine.  Heat the sauce in the microwave until thick and bubbly about 2 minutes.  Let stand while preparing frittata.

Coat bottom of oven proof sauté pan with oil and heat over medium heat, add the onion and sauté until soft; add garlic and ginger stir until aromatic; stir in the mushrooms and sauté until softened.  Add the carrots and, cabbage and cook until softened.  Stir in the scallions and remove the vegetables from heat and cool. 

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Have a plate handy that is larger than the width of the pan.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a fork and add a bit of salt and pepper; stir in the mushroom mixture and the sprouts.  Wipe out the omelet pan, heat it over medium high heat and coat it lightly with oil. 

When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture and allow to set, lifting the edges and tilting pan so that egg liquid will run under the set eggs.

When the eggs begin to firm and bottom begins to brown remove from heat and with a spatula shift to loosen.  Cover the pan with the plate and flip the frittata onto the plate.  Quickly slip the frittata back into the pan browned side up.  Return the pan to the heat and repeat the process, cooking the bottom another couple of minutes.  The center will likely still be uncooked, place the pan in the oven for another 4 minutes to finish the frittata.  It will begin to puff up.  Cut it in wedges and serve with the brown sauce and garnish with cilantro. Serves 4