Baked Eggs With Sardines And Cabbage

It was supposed to be a tart.  A dreamy Diana Henry creation of pastry topped with sardines, except that I had planned on adding vegetables and a slice of lemon on the side. As it happened, nothing turned out the way it was visualised in my mind - I didn't have the necessary ingredients on hand.

My plans to go grocery-shopping and to meet a friend to drop off the BBQ set I had given away was thwarted by car trouble. The old sweetheart wouldn't crank up.  There you go, a kink in my otherwise perfect morning.

Baked Eggs With Sardines And Cabbage

So, eggs were used instead and a sunshiny dish was born to bring cheer to an otherwise gloomy-weather day. Someone said it looked like pizza. Surely a good looking one?

Baked Eggs With Sardines And Cabbage
Ingredients:
- 6 small fresh sardines
- 6 eggs
- 1 red chilli (sliced)
- 2 cups sliced cabbage
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Black pepper (several dashes)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- An 11" round baking dish

Method:
1) Brush cooking oil around the baking dish.
2) Lay the cabbage inside.
3) Beat egg with salt. Pour it around the cabbage.
4) Rub sardines with a bit of salt and place on top of egg/cabbage mixture.
5) Sprinkle chilli slices on top and finish with several dashes of black pepper.
6) Bake at 175C for about 25 minutes.
(Note: Baking time will vary depending on your oven and type of pan.)

1) Lay the cabbage into the dish. 2) Pour beaten egg over.
3) Place sardines on top, decorate with slices of chilli and dashes of black pepper.
4) Bake until the fish is cooked. 5) It's done!

Baked Eggs With Sardines And Cabbage

Best eaten on its own paired with ketchup or sauce of preference.

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Baked Egg with Zucchini Blossoms

Zucchini blossoms? Hah! Plenty of resources on the web about these edible flowers. I had no trouble figuring out how to clean it and had as many tips how to eat it.

Some people remove the stamen/pistil in the center, some don't. I decided to leave it out of this egg dish. These flowers were purchased from Aeon, Desa Parkcity. I think my heart did a somersault when I saw it displayed on the shelf. I was that excited ..even if it wasn't in freshly-plucked condition.

".... It's not going to look any prettier once it's cooked." I put it in my shopping basket and made my way to the cashier.

Thus, begins another edible flowers adventure. I ate one of it raw to get an idea what it tastes like. I would describe it as something as refreshing as biting into cucumbers except that these aren't crunchy. It was light and pleasant. There is no bitterness or sourness to it, not even an aftertaste. It felt like I was munching on a thin soft lettuce.

My family loves egg dishes so it was only natural that I found inspiration from the many frittata recipes on the web. This is wholly oven-baked and I used what I had in the kitchen.

Baked Egg with Zucchini Blossoms

My husband gave it the thumbs up, especially raving about the bits of baked cream cheese. I loved it too! The cheese gave it a nice flavour. The flowers made it appetisingly pretty!

Baked Egg with Zucchini Blossoms
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs
- 7 zucchini blossoms (sliced)
- 1 medium-large red onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 medium tomatoes (sliced)
- ⅔ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- Flat-leaf parsley (optional)

How-to:
1) Pre-heat oven to 175C.
2) I used an 11-inch round baking tray. Grease tray with cooking oil.
3) Lay tomatoes, onion and celery onto the tray. Scoop bits of cream cheese over. Spread chopped zucchini blossoms around.
4) In a bowl, add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs to combine everything. Pour this egg mixture over the ingredients on the baking tray.
5) Bake for 25 minutes at 175C, or until cooked (baking time may vary).
Optional: Place a bit of flat-leaf parsley in the middle about 15 minutes into baking time.

Bits of Cream Cheese and chopped Zucchini Blossoms

The egg is poured in.

Getting the Bake!

Tadaa! Baked Egg with Zucchini Blossoms and Cream Cheese.

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This post is linked to Little Thumbs Up - Feb 2016 which is organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Sweet Home-Chefs.

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Finger Food For Besties Night

"I've something juicy to tell .... Wait! I've got to go check on that orange rosemary roast turkey I'm making for you girls! "

That's an exaggeration, but I think you get what I'm trying to say. It's not how I imagine a besties night to go. It should be a time of relaxation with group activities that pamper the mind, body and soul. Cosying up with each other over a movie, playing card games and catching up on life events - this is my kind of fun.

Unless it's a cooking meet-up or a special dinner occasion, besties night shouldn't be about sweating it out in the kitchen and looking like you need a shower when it's time to sit and enjoy the company. There must be food, of course. I'm just saying that it needn't be an elaborate affair. So, finger food it is for me.

These are a few light bites that I often turn to so that I can spend my time where it should - on my friends, not the stove! And I was in no way tired out before my friends arrived.

1. Lemon & Pepper Seasoning Chicken Drumettes
How-to: Rub two dozen chicken drumettes with 3 tsp of McCormick Lemon & Pepper Seasoning and 1½ tsp cooking oil. Bake in oven, on a foil-lined tray at 180C for about 45minutes.

2. Mashed Egg On Savoury Biscuits
How-to: This can be prepared a day earlier. Mash 10 boiled eggs with more or less ⅔ cup mayonnaise (to preference). Season with a pinch of salt and several dashes of white pepper. Mix well. Serve on savoury crackers (like Garden Spring Onion Savoury Crackers). Garnish with fresh coriander or spring onion.

3. Plum Sauce Cocktail Sausages
How-to: Bake cocktail sausages on a foil-lined tray until heated through. Remove from oven and place into a large bowl. Toss, in plum sauce and finely chopped red chilli and fresh coriander.

4. Longan Ice Pops
How-to: This must be made in advance. Use canned longans. Keep the syrup aside for later use.

To make the filling, grate a cucumber (middle section removed) into a bowl. Squeeze some calamondin juice over and pour a little of the longan syrup in. Mix well.The mixture should not be too watery.

Stuff the longans with the cucumber filling.  Place the longans into a cube ice mould - one longan for each hole in the mould. Stick a toothpick in the center (midway through). Chill in freezer until frozen.


Note: These How-Tos are only a guide. Please flavour to your preference. Baking time may vary.
 

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Steamed Egg

After eating all that yummy steamed food in Restoran Steam Fish & Steamboat, I was inspired to reproduce these favourites of mine. I started off with steamed egg. You will find this steamed egg dish in almost any establishment offering Chinese cuisine here.

I've made this on several occasions  but had a little fun with it this time. If you have been following me on my other accounts in social media, you would have realised by now that I have a fixation for 'smileys'. I've tried not ending sentences with one but it always slips in somehow. And now, it's even on my food!

Anyway, I hope you like this version of steamed egg.

Ingredients:
- 3 medium eggs
- ⅔cup water

Seasoning (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp spring onions (sliced small)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce

How-to:
1) Add 3 eggs into a bowl with 2/3 cup water. Mix with a fork or a pair of chopsticks (do not beat), until well combined.

2) Using a strainer, strain the mixture into a steaming plate (Aiming for a clear and bubble free mixture).

3) Cover the plate (using foil or another plate). Place this into the steamer and steam until the egg sets into a custard-like texture.

Note: I use an electrical cooker. Start on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, put the covered plate in and reduce the heat. It took me about half an hour to forty minutes on low heat but could be faster under different conditions. Give it a quick check on the twentieth minute if you're not sure or if this is your first time.

Don't forget to cover the plate before steaming!

There you have it - steamed egg

4) Finally, mix sesame oil and soy sauce together. Pour this over the set egg. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions.

This is how it's done.

Steamed Egg with Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce topped with Spring Onions

I am kidding, of course. Don't be stingy with the sauce or the spring onions. The picture above is a toned down version of what I really did!

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