Family Stories, Pianist,

I was just reading a funny family story in an ezine and thought of one from my family. Before they were married, my father picked my mother up from her home and took her back to his flat (sorry apartment) whilst he changed to go out. He was hungry so suggested she make them a bacon sandwich whilst he changed. He came back to find her in tears because she didn't know how to make a bacon sandwich. This is especially funny to  my family as my mother became the greatest cook I have ever known and could cook anything you care to name although she couldn't pronounce half the names of what she cooked. I wish I could cook half as well as she did.

As most of you know, I am a devotee of Jeopardy and although they are featuring reruns at the moment, I am still there with my nose to the screen from 7:30 on. There was a Double Jeopardy category presented by a well known pianist but he was not well known to me I'm afraid and I would love to get a DVD of him playing, from what Alex Trebek said, he watched him playing a Beethoven concert which was wonderful. I thought that would be something we would enjoy if it is on DVD, but I don't know the name of the pianist. Yes, I know there are lots of good pianists but this one appealed to me.

We enjoyed our lunch at Mandarin today and it was nice to see our friends whom we haven't seen for a while. He has just had a cataract operation and wasn't wearing glasses. He looked like a different person, amazing what glasses do for a face isn't it? We  then went for groceries and back home. I can't remember if I mentioned how dusty the car was although I hadn't long ago had it washed. However,  today might have fixed the dust, it really chucked it down once or twice. Of course I should maybe have been out there with a cloth and, as our friend commented, now I needed a dryer.

I thought this looked rather yummy.

Leftover Pasta Frittata with Quick Radicchio Salad

Frittata

2 slices prosciutto or thick sliced bacon
5 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
4 cups leftover cooked spaghetti or other long pasta
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Basil leaves

Radicchio Salad

1 head radicchio, torn
1 Tbs olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Cook prosciutto or bacon in a 10-inch heatproof skillet or cast-iron pan over medium heat, turning once, until crisp. Set aside. Wipe pan clean.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with sour cream, and salt and pepper until blended. Toss in pasta and 1/3 cup of the cheese.

4. In same pan, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil over medium, add pasta mixture and cook without stirring, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Transfer to oven.

5. Cook until puffed and slightly jiggly, about 5 minutes. For a crispy browned top, broil 2-3 minutes. Top with tomatoes and basil, and serve with bacon/prosciutto (or chop in pieces to scatter on top).

6. Tear radicchio and toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if desired), garnish with shaved Parmesan.

7. Tip: Radicchio lettuce is slightly bitter and lends itself easily to a good olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese for the quickest and elegant weeknight salad.

Servings: 4

Tips
The centre will look slightly loose, puffed and jiggly, the hot pan will continue to cook the frittata with residual heat called carryover cooking.

Source: Food Network

Have a great day