Thursday, March 22, 2018

Webb City Sentinel market column - 3/21/18


Hurray!  Stewart’s Bakery is back Saturday with breakfast and lunch. Linda had taken off a couple of months to tend to some personal projects and though they are not completely resolved yet she is too bored to sit at home any more. “I felt better when I was working,” she said. We feel better when she is working too.

The timing is perfect because Ghetto Taco, the business filing in for her, needs to concentrate on their food truck business now that the weather is getting better. 

So expect scrambled eggs, biscuit and gravy, sausage, and hash brown casserole Saturday morning. Linda will also have ham and beans for eat-in or take-away.

The Kids Garden Club will plant and decorate egg carton salad gardens. “No wabbits allowed!” according to organizer Eric. It’s free fun (and educational) for all kids.

Scott Eastman performs on the north market stage. Now that weather is warmer we can move the music to the regular stage near the breakfast. During the cold weather we keep our musicians away from the north entrance so they stay cozier. It’s hard to play the guitar with gloves on.

I had the pleasure of being with Carol Parker on KSN yesterday. The recipe I shared was a Spinach and Cheese Egg Bake. I chose it because it was a natural for National Nutrition Month, which is March, and because with the exception of the cheese and the dried herbs, all the ingredients are available at the market. And it’s super easy which is always a consideration when one has only three minutes to share the dish.

In addition to the recipe ingredients I took along some produce just for show including microgreens, which I used to garnish the dish, and pea tops. 

After finishing the segment we began sampling, of course, and my, I had forgotten how good pea tops are. They are just what the name says – the tops of the young pea vines, complete with tendrils. And they taste very much like peas!  I usually give all the display produce away to the TV staff, but I stashed the pea tops among my things to bring home. I will be snacking healthy this week.

Here’s the recipe – Spinach and Mozzarella Egg Bake

4 cups, packed, of fresh spinach (I plunge a pair of kitchen scissors into the spinach and cut it several times to chop it up and make it easier to evenly distribute through the casserole)

½ tsp. olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of your skillet)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella
½ cup thinly slice green onions
8 eggs, beaten
Seasoning to suit

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 1/5 inch by 12 inch glass or crockery casserole with non-stick spray.

Heat oil in large skillet, add spinach and cover for about 2 minutes. Stir once. Once wilted, spread spinach in the bottom of the casserole dish.

Spread the cheese over the spinach, then the onion.

Finally whip the eggs and add seasoning (I use Herbes de Provence and once the growing season starts you’ll want to use fresh herbs). Pour over the cheese. With the reverse end of your mixing spoon, move the ingredients around enough to make sure the egg saturates everywhere. Bake for 35 minutes.

Let the dish set for 15 minutes after removing from the oven before serving. Or refrigerate and serve cold.

This tasty dish features two ingredients that are in abundance at the market right now – spinach and eggs. Enjoy them while you can. During the heat of the summer they can be hard to come by.

See you at the market on Saturday!