Upside-Down Pear

One of the reasons I like keeping a variety of things around in the freezer is that it makes it easy to turn out a tasty meal even when I’m low on fresh produce. I forgot to go pick up my farm box this week, so I turned to my backup supplies.

In the fridge, I had lemongrass, Thai basil, about a cup of leftover chicken broth, the end of a bottle of Thai chili sauce, and the end of a jar of roasted chile curry paste.

In the pantry, I had potatoes, onions, garlic, and coconut milk.

In the freezer, I had chopped green bell peppers and shrimp.

Clearly, a nice shrimp and potato curry was in the offing!

I chopped the onions and garlic and lemongrass, and sauteed them with the green peppers in a little extra-virgin olive oil. I added the curry paste, chicken broth, chili sauce, and half the can of coconut milk, and let it all simmer together for a bit.

I peeled and chopped the potatoes and boiled them in salted water for 15 minutes, then scooped them into the simmering curry sauce to finish cooking. A few minutes before serving, I added chopped Thai basil and the defrosted, peeled shrimp. When the shrimp were done, so was the curry.

The only change I think I’d make in the future is that I’d put the lemongrass in as bundles; the tender part of it wasn’t quite tender enough, so we ended up picking it out in the end!

I also think that chicken chunks would work well in this, or stew beef — both would require alterations to the cooking method, though, since they’d take quite a bit longer to cook than the shrimp.

Weekend (and holiday) brunches are important in this household. Today’s was simple: a potato-leek frittata dressed up with the long-simmered red sauce I made yesterday.

I lined the small cast-iron skillet with thin slices of potato, gallette-style, cooked everything slowly, and ended up with a firm, creamy dish that lifted out of the pan perfectly.

• 1 medium potato
• white of one leek
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup cream
• Salt & pepper to taste
• extra-virgin olive oil

Set a pot of salted water to boil. Slice the potato thin — not quite as thin as you would for potato chips, but thin. When the water boils, put the slices in and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the leek into discs, and sautee in olive oil. (I used the same small skillet for this step as for cooking the frittata.) I like to let them carmelize slightly before removing them from the heat (and from the pan, if you are using the same pan as I am).

Beat eggs with cream and season with salt & pepper.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brush small oven-safe skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat. Remove potato slices from water with a slotted spoon and arrange in the bottom and sides of the skillet. When the potatoes are sizzling, add the leeks and then the egg mixture. Turn heat to low and let cook for about 5 min.

Put skillet into oven. After 4 minutes, check to see if center is set. If not, check back in another few minutes. When center is just barely set, switch oven to broil mode and broil the top until puffy and lightly browned (about 1 min).

Serve with a side salad or red sauce.