Fifteen Vegetables Before 7 AM
An eggwhite extravaganza, and the ratio for hard-boiled eggs that actually peel.
Letter from the Kitchen
Start Right
When people ask, “What is the most important thing you do to stay on track with your way of eating?” I never hesitate.
It is breakfast (and soups - but this is about breakfast).
I am beginning to outline the new version of Mindful Mediterranean. Building that program transformed how I eat. The foundation of it — the formula I follow with very few exceptions — is simple and includes, almost every single day, what I call the Eggwhite Extravaganza. I made a video about it a couple of years ago. The vegetables shift with the season.
The vegetables shift with the season. The basic concept never does.
This morning’s extravaganza: red onion, mushrooms, zucchini, roasted cauliflower, artichoke hearts, asparagus, spinach, roasted baby peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil, egg whites, with tomato salsa on the side — almost fifteen healthful ingredients before 7 AM. (Note: I’m using avocado cooking spray and not adding dairy or bacon)
Egg whites are nearly pure protein — about 4 grams per white, almost no fat — so I can use three or four to tie the extravaganza together. Mushrooms bring their own list of great benefits. Those and some dark leafy greens are non-negotiable.
The Extravaganza also helps to clear out my fridge. That half-bunch of basil and the four asparagus spears in the drawer. Chickpeas. Jalapeños. The end of yesterday’s roasted peppers. Nothing wasted. Never boring. The day starts already pointed in the right direction.
This week is about that daily habit that helped build the program.
Last Week, You Answered
Almost Every Answer Involved Eggs
Last week I asked: What’s the one dish you used to be scared to make, and now you make without thinking?
The answers came in. What dominated? Eggs.
Poached. Soft-boiled, hard-boiled. Omelets. Frittatas.
That tracks. Eggs are simple little things with great potential. But they can turn green if you overcook them during hard boiling; they can dissolve when you poach them. They can get rubbery, separate, stick, or burn. Yolks can break when you don’t want them to, shells can turn up in your pasta, and peeling can be virtually impossible. The good news is, they are cheap enough that you can practice and ruin a few without flinching too much, which is exactly why they are the perfect ingredient to learn on.
If you are still in the scared-of-eggs camp, here is my piece of advice: be prepared to crack a lot of them. My mother had a little contraption that did a passable job of poaching, but most of us learn the way everybody learns — by doing it badly until we don’t. From there, you just need to do it often enough to remember.
Since I know not everyone will wake up and make the Eggwhite Extravaganza tomorrow, here are three other ideas.
🥚 French Omelet →
🥬 Spinach Frittata →
🥞 Dutch Baby →
Join Me at the Table
The Calendar Is Coming — and a Door That’s Already Open
The summer schedule is close to being final and posted.
If you cannot wait, the door is already open through Cozymeal. They book private and small-group classes with me directly, and it is a good way to claim a stool in the Kitchen Studio while our website calendar gets buttoned up.
These classes are small and fill up quickly.
The Podcast Hook
Creating Community
Some communities are built on a great idea. Some are built out of necessity.
Mary Lower’s late husband, Chris, was diagnosed with a heart condition that demanded a complete rethink of how they cooked. Out of that — out of the necessity of figuring it out, and figuring it out without losing flavor — Hacking Salt was born. A website, a community, a way through that helped many people along the way.
Mary is still tending it. That, more than anything else in our conversation, is what stayed with me after we stopped recording.
Friday, May 8 at 7:30 AM · Episode 5 — Ashley Nathe: The Season Starts Here
Friday, May 22 at 7:30 AM · Episode 6 — Josiah Christensen: What Mushrooms Are Actually Doing for You
New episodes every other Friday.
What’s Happening in the Kitchen
My Official Computer Problem Week
This was, apparently, my official Computer Problem Week. I was definitely in “one battle after another” land until the final kicker - I got locked out of my computer for a full day. The good news: the podcast is back and finally where it’s supposed to be.
The better news: while the computers were misbehaving, the kitchen was not. More on that in Cookbook Chronicles below.
The Skill: The New Basics
Hard-Boiled Eggs You Can Actually Peel
The egg appreciates good technique.
The Quick Win
Bring two quarts of water to a full rolling boil for every six eggs. Lower your room-temperature eggs in gently and boil for thirty seconds — count it out, “one one thousand, two one thousand,” all the way to thirty. Then drop the heat and simmer for exactly twelve minutes. Drain, flood the pan with cold water, crack, peel.
I have used this ratio for up to 40 eggs at a time; every single one peels.
The Most Common Mistake
Not bringing the water to a full boil. A boil can vary by ten degrees or more, and the difference between a lazy simmer-with-bubbles and a true rolling boil is the difference between an egg you can peel and an egg that fights you the whole way.
If you are unsure, wait another minute.
One Tool Worth Having
I built a small Benable list called The Egg and I — tools, books, artful eggs, even movies. If you cook eggs often, it is worth a scroll. There are a few things on there I genuinely use every week.
Recipe Spotlight
Southwestern Turkey Burger
The grill is out. The burger is ready.
The Soul
I bet you have already pulled the grill out of the garage. Good! The Southwestern Turkey Burger is a Cooking Club favorite for the in-between weeks of spring — the ones where you are ready for summer but summer isn’t ready for you. It is smoky, spicy, and substantial. I always double the recipe and freeze some to have on hand.
The Bridge
Turn up the heat. The condiment that must go with this burger is Poblano Chipotle Ketchup.
🍽 Get the Full Recipe →
🌶 Poblano Chipotle Ketchup →
The Mediterranean Edit
This Week I’m Loving…
Two grilling picks this week, and they are both on my deck.
Tool
Weber Spirit Gas Grill
I already had a basic Weber charcoal grill — I teach a grilling class, and you really do need both. My husband spent months researching the gas side, and we landed on the Spirit. The reason is the multiple heating zones and the sear capability. The size is right for our space — generous but not absurd. We often use it with a wood chip box for smoky flavor.
BBQ Daddy Grill Brush
Cleaning grill grates has been the unglamorous task of summer cooking for as long as I can remember. The BBQ Daddy changed that. It uses a unique scrub head that turns cold water into steam, lifting off the residue easily. No wire bristles, no soaking, no procrastinating.
Cookbook Chronicles
Twenty-Four Pizzas, Nine Batches of Gnocchi, and One Bowl of Soup That Made the Book
Some weeks the kitchen is a studio. This one was both.
I taught back-to-back classes this week. Twenty-four pizzas were pulled from the oven. Nine full batches of gnocchi — topped with Basil Pesto Cream Sauce and Smashed Cherry Tomato Sauce. The kitchen smelled like flour and wood smoke for three days running.
In between, we finished the Wedding Soup shot for the cookbook. That has been on my list since January. It is done now. It is beautiful.
You are seeing pieces of a book come together in real time, in between classes, in between podcast edits, in between everything.
Before You Go — This Week’s Question
What would you like to see in a “Breakfast for Dinner” class?
Pick one, please.
Leave a comment — I read every one. Hit reply — I read those too.
Until next Thursday — keep a good olive oil on the counter and don’t be afraid to use it.
— Chef Laura
ouff en cocotte please, I heard it was really great
Eggs are magic. I want to learn how to make an easy, herby soufflé for one or two that is light but tastes decadent.