This month’s “Savor Cooks” recipe features chives. When snipped or chopped, chives add a beautiful and fancy-feeling finish to a variety of dishes.
Here are some fun ways to include chives in your everyday cooking or entertaining:
Spreads and Dips
Mix a few big pinches of chives into soft goat or ricotta cheese or add to hummus and spread onto toast or crostini. Add a halved radish or cherry tomatoes for a fun vegetable addition.
Stir chopped chives into a homemade yogurt, buttermilk or tahini dip and serve with vegetable crudité.
Pastas, Grains and Beans
Stir chives into a creamy pasta or risotto, or toss into a homemade grain-based salad.
Cook or warm up a pot of beans (rinse and drain canned beans or use dry beans, or boil fresh fava or cranberry beans during the spring and summer months) and add chives before serving.
Soups and Sauces
Make a pot of soup and enjoy all week long. Chives and a dollop of yogurt or some toasted seeds are some of the many ways make a basic soup feel elegant.
Whisk or shake in a jar 2 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar with a dash of mustard, a pinch each of salt and pepper, and a heaping spoonful of chopped chives. Drizzle over fresh greens.
Potatoes and Pancakes
However you like to eat your potatoes – baked, home-fried, or mashed – a sprinkle of chives on top will enhance the appearance and flavor. Try mashed cauliflower for a lower carbohydrate twist.
Whip up some Chinese or Korean style chive pancakes and enjoy with a sesame soy dip or alongside a homemade stir-fry.
Protein Power
From roast chicken to sautéed salmon, chives add a beautiful and fresh element to star protein dishes.
Sprinkle on scrambled eggs or omelets.
Don’t forget to check out our Food of the Month post on chives.
Recipe
Try our recipe for a Cheesy Chive Frittata, which you can enjoy warm from the oven or at room temperature. Frittatas are a great way to pack in vegetables and protein for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack, and chives add a spring-green pop of color.
Use whatever kind of cheese you like here – ricotta, cottage cheese and cream cheese are nice, as are shredded white cheddar, Gruyere or Parmesan. Not into cheese? Use extra veggies like asparagus, tomato, mushrooms or broccoli.
Either chop chives with a knife, or use kitchen shears or scissors to cut into small tube-like pieces.
- 8 large eggs, whisked
- ¼ cup whole or 2% milk
- a pinch each of salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup ricotta or whipped cottage cheese or shredded and loosely packed white cheddar, Gruyere or Parmesan
- Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk with a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir in the chives.
- Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Pour in the egg-milk-chive mixture and stir a few times with a rubber spatula. Dollop the ricotta over the top (or sprinkle in the shredded cheese). Cook, undisturbed until the edges are set, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the top of the frittata is just set, about 10 to 12 minutes. To check for doneness, cut a small slit in the center of the frittata. If raw eggs run into the cut, bake another few minutes. Pull out when the eggs are set.
- Invert or slide the frittata onto a plate or cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
