NETTLE QUINOA CAKES WITH ASPARAGUS, CRISPY HAM, POACHED EGG, AND FENNEL MINT AIOLI

SPRING TIME= BUSY TIME. Up and out at 7 am, work all day, then try to grasp at my remaining social life. I miss a lot of people and want so badly to spend more time with them, but things are GROWING so fast and we just have to keep up. I handed in my last papers Thursday morning and couldn’t wait to get out of the city. Heat + humidity + “humans”= hell. Once Upstate, I had about two hours before it was time to plant. I made honey lavender syrup (recipe to come) and honey sage iced green tea before putting on crappy clothes and jumping on the back of the transplanter with my family to put tomato and cucumber plants in the ground. THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING TO DO! Family, DOG, (usually) bikini, mason jar of cider, or if Adam’s in charge Miller High Life, and PLANTING all the vegetables and fruits that we get to devour and share in just a few weeks! Of course the weather wasn’t cooperating, so we reluctantly called it quits. 

 I whipped up this dinner (I’ll admit it was a lot of work) in an hour and we sat down on the porch to eat, muddy knees and all. I ran out to the chicken coop to get eggs for the recipe and on the way out, slipped and fell down the metal ramp leaving me with a big ol’ bruise and skinned elbows. The kitchen was a MESS after this, but I was happy to have cooked with nettles for the first time and feed the family. I’m pretty confident that if you really laid out all your ingredients (minced, chopped, squeezed, and all) before hand, it wouldn’t be as difficult. (Next time..?)

Ok enough rambling…Here’s the recipe:

QUINOA CAKES:

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 bunch nettles (steamed, squeezed dry in tea towel, and minced)

1/3 cup green olives, chopped

1/2 medium shallot, minced

1/2 cup bread crumbs

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 Tbsp honey

2 eggs

FENNEL MINT AIOLI

2 Tbsp finely fennel fronds or lovage

1Tbsp finely minced mint

1 egg yolk

1 large clove garlic minced into a paste with a good pinch of salt

juice of half a lemon (or more to taste)

1/4 cup good olive oil

ACCESSORIES

1 lb. bunch thick asparagus

4 slices country ham (fried crispy on a skillet

Spicy baby greens (like arugula)

4 eggs, poached

1-2 Tbsp distilled white vinegar for poaching

DIRECTIONS

1) Make quinoa cakes:

Bring quinoa and water to a boil with a tsp of salt, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes then cool to room temp. 

Meanwhile steam the nettles until thoroughly wilted. Chop fine & squeeze dry with a tea towel. 

In a medium bowl mix the nettles and quinoa thoroughly. Add the olives, shallot, bread crumbs, lemon juice & zest, salt, pepper, and honey. Add the two eggs. Mixture should hold together in about 6 patties (1/3 cup mixture 1” thick each) on a wax paper lined baking sheet

Refrigerate covered for about 30 minutes to allow them to firm up.

While they're firming prepare the asparagus, ham, and aioli.

2) Make fennel mint aioli:

Whisk yolk with the garlic and salt paste in a medium bowl until pale. Slowly, drop by drop begin to whisk in the oil. When a stable emulsion forms, you can add the oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly. About halfway through adding the oil or if it gets too thick add the lemon juice. Continue adding oil, adjusting the consistency as you go with a little bit of water to prevent it from getting too thick.

When done, stir in the herbs and adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice.

3) Steam asparagus:

Steam until just tender and sprinkle a little salt

4) Cook quinoa cakes:

Heat canola oil of medium high heat in a large frying pan. When hot add the cakes without crowding. Fry in batches if needed. Cook about 5-6 minutes per side on medium to medium low depending on your stove until they are cooked through and crispy brown on the outside. While they're frying, poach your eggs.

5) Poach eggs & fry ham:

Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer. Add 1 tsp of vinegar if your eggs aren't insanely fresh. Break your eggs into individual small dishes.

Create a whirl pool in the center of the simmering pot of water by stirring and tip an egg into it. Poach for 3 minutes, until white is set but yolk is still runny. Repeat with remaining eggs. 

Meanwhile fry ham crispy. 

6) Assemble: 

 

Place warm quinoa cake on a bed of greens, top with ham, asparagus, egg, and a generous dollop of aioli. Serve warm. 

Me as a youngin' . Not much has changed, huh?