Shakshouka

When I came across this recipe for eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce over here at smitten kitchen, I could almost taste the flavors before I had even started cooking. I love eggs, I love peppers, and I love tomatoes...combined? Done and done.


Shakshouka hails from Israel and is known as a traditional dish that involves poached eggs, tomato sauce and peppers. My understanding is that it is typically served with bread to scoop up all that tasty sauce. This is my attempt at replicating the dish.


Ingredients
5 Anaheim chiles
1 small onion
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. paprika
28 oz. crushed tomatoes, undrained (*try to find San Marzanos)
Salt, to taste
Black pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3-4 scallions, chopped
2-6 eggs*


Directions
1. Seed and finely chop the chiles. Also finely chop the onion and mince the garlic cloves.

2. In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil.
3. Cook the chiles and onions until soft.

4. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika, and cook for two more minutes to allow flavors to combine.

5. Add the crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup water to the skillet. Simmer for 15 minutes and season with salt to taste.

*Now, there are two options for the eggs. The original recipe calls for the eggs to be poached in the sauce (which, in my understanding, is what makes traditional shakshouka):
6. Crack the eggs over the sauce. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, until yolks are just set.
7. Sprinkle with feta cheese and scallions and serve.
I did things this way the first time I made the recipe and it tasted great. The only issue is that I'm usually cooking for just myself, so it wasn't possible with the eggs already in the sauce to save leftovers...and if you're like me, you're probably rushed in the mornings and need a quick breakfast. So you can appreciate why I love breakfast-y leftovers.


For that reason, I altered the recipe slightly so that the sauce cooks on its own and I can store the leftovers in a container. Here's what I do:
6. In a separate skillet while the sauce is simmering, heat olive oil and crack the desired number of eggs. Season with salt and pepper and cook over-easy.
7. When the sauce is ready, scoop one portion's worth into a bowl and top with the over-easy eggs.
8. Sprinkle each portion with crumbled feta and scallions.
I found this to be good not only so I can heat up the sauce several mornings in a row and serve with fresh eggs, but it is also easier to get the eggs cooked just right. While poaching is great because the flavors from the sauce can infuse the eggs while they cook, it was really hard for me to get the timing down so that the yolks were still runny and the whites were fully cooked. Alas, this is one of the many talents that I have not mastered in the kitchen. When cooking eggs over-easy, it's so much easier for me to keep the yolks runny, which is awesome when they run out into the tomato sauce.


**However, if you're having a group over for breakfast, or if you like breakfast for dinner (I do!), this would be so fun to serve with the eggs poached in the big skillet. Just plop the skillet down on a hot pad in the middle of the table, heat up some pitas, and dig in! Community table dining? My favorite.

Cream Cheese Nutella Pockets

Some of the best cookies are the ones that come together as a last-minute "I need some sugary, doughy, chocolately cookie dough" bliss. While I'm sure we've all had these late-night (or early morning, let's be honest) moments, I have a new appreciation for them since I entered this doctoral program. Late nights of paper-writing and study-guide-memorizing are only endured when I have a plate of cookies in the kitchen. 

But these came about as a bit of a surprise. I was going to a study session for what would end up being an "oh no, I'm going to fail out of grad school" post-midterm panic (but alas, I didn't...that's the benefit of writing these months after the fact) and needed to bring something tasty to share. Clearly, studying had gotten the best of me because my pantry was running low on virtually all necessary baking ingredients. No eggs, no brown sugar, no peanut butter, no shortening...but my will to bake persisted (and, if I'm being honest, my need for procrastination at that point in the evening was very strong). I found this recipe that combined a cream cheese dough AND Nutella...and while I can't be completely sure, I might be invited back to another study session. Contingent on more Nutella pockets!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature + 2 tbsp., melted

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups Nutella

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl with a stand- or hand mixer, cream together 1 cup butter, cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla extract and mix.

3. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and mix until just combined.

4. Dump the dough onto plastic wrap or aluminum foil and cover completely. 

5. Refrigerate for one hour to make the dough easy to handle.

6. When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut in half. Return half to the refrigerator and roll out the over half on a floured surface.

*Note: the rolled dough should be approximately 1/4" thick.

8. Using a circle cutter (or, if you're like me and don't have one...the top of a drinking glass), cut the dough.

9. Place on a baking sheet and repeat until all of the dough is cut into circles.

10. Place 1 1/2 tsp. of Nutella in the center of each circle.

*Note: I love Nutella, so it figures that I over-stuffed my cookies. They were harder to fold, and Nutella oozed out while baking. So sue me.

 

11. Fold in half and press lightly to seal. Then, gently crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.

12. Brush with the 2 tbsp. melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

13. Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

In honor of the blog's namesake (thanks, Mom), and the fact that I don't typically gnaw on chicken wings by myself for dinner, I made my mom's chicken wings for Superbowl XLVI to go along with this. They're so easy but so good!

Ingredients

1 bag frozen chicken drummettes (from the freezer section at your grocery store)

Lemon-pepper seasoning

Olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Thaw the chicken drummettes, either in the refrigerator overnight or by running under cold water until thawed.

3. Pat dry the drummettes and spread out in an even layer on a baking sheet.

4. Drizzle the drummettes with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with minced garlic. Season generously with the lemon-pepper seasoning.

5. Bake for 25-35 minutes (depending on the size of your drummettes) until golden and cooked through.

6. Serve hot, either on their own or with your favorite dip. 

Pizza Pull-Apart Bread

Superbowl time! That's how late I am in posting these recipes...4 months?! Even more fun than watching the game (or any game, really) is having people over and making some party food that otherwise would seem out of place at the dinner table. I loved the idea of a pull-apart bread that could easy be pulled, dipped and eaten with little muss or fuss. I found several variations of pull-apart bread and had to decide between cheesy-jalapeno bread, bacon-cheesey-ranch bread...the options go on and on. Why I decided on a pizza version, I have no idea, but I have plenty of games in my future at which to try the others. Or my favorite type of game night...BOARD game night! Who's in?

Ingredients

1 round loaf of sourdough bread

16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

3.5 oz sliced pepperoni, cut in half

3-4 baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 small can black olives, drained and sliced

3 tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings

2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, shredded

Pizza sauce, for dipping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Without cutting all the way through the crust, cut the bread both length- and width-wise using a good serrated knife.

3. Place the bread on the baking sheet. Insert the pepperoni, mushrooms and olives into the bread.

4. Sprinkle the cheese all over the bread.

5. Combine the melted butter and seasonings. Pour evenly over the bread.

6. Wrap the bread tightly in foil and bake for 15 minutes.

7. After 15 minutes, unwrap the bread.

8. Bake for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread turns brown and slightly crispy.

Lemon-Parmesan Tilapia

It's funny to stop and think about how I fell in love with cooking. Despite growing up with  a mother who catered for years, it never struck me that I could actually make her recipes on my own rather than having to wait to visit and then ask her...beg her...to make my favorites. So in college, when I finally had an apartment and was out of the dorms (sorry Garner Hall...I didn't love you as much as everyone else), I began really exploring recipes. Now, six years later, I can't believe there was a time when I didn't do this! While my tastes have changed and I have a greater awareness of ingredients (thanks to Food Network, fresh farmers' markets and living in urban areas with great, non-chain restaurants), this is an "oldie but goodie" recipe that I still make every once in awhile...despite it being the most unhealthy fish recipe I have in my arsenal!

Ingredients

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

3 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. black pepper  

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. celery salt

4 tilapia fillets

Directions

1. Preheat the oven's broiler.

2. In a small bowl, combine the butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice.

3. Season with dried basil, black pepper, onion powder and celery salt.

4. Add the parmesan cheese and stir well.

5. Arrange the tilapia filets in a single layer in a 9x13" casserole dish.

6. Broil for 2-3 minutes and flip, broiling for another 2 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and cover with the cheese mixture.

8. Broil for another 2-3 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden brown. It will sizzle slightly.

9. Serve hot.

Lime Cake

When I found this recipe while perusing smitten kitchen, it reminded me of a very successful lemon cake I have made a few times. I thought it might be a faster, smaller version of the cake to make for weekend guests. Enter a weekend a few months back when my best friend was coming to visit (who happens to love key lime pie), and I had the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Needless to say, I didn't fall in love like I have with the lemon cake. It was good, don't get me wrong, but the blackberry sauce is very tart, and make sure you like the tartness of limes too. It was very refreshing though, and a perfect cake for summer.

(That reminds me: I've never added the lemon cake recipe to the blog. I'll make it again if I have some takers to come over and eat it with me! Anyone?!)

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup whole milk plain yogurt, unsweetened

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

Zest of one lime

1/4 lime juice

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

For the sauce:

12 oz. fresh blackberries

1/4 cup water

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan, and grease both the sides and the paper on the bottom.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, sugar, lime zest and juice.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, combing well after each addition.

4. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

5. Add to the yogurt mixture and stir until just combined. 

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean

7. Let stand for 10 minutes, and then invert onto a cooling rack, running your knife along the sides of the pan before turning it over to make sure that nothing sticks. 

8. Remove the parchment paper and flip back over to cool.

9. While the cake is cooling, prepare the sauce by combining the blackberries, water, sugar and lime juice in a food processor.

10. Puree until very smooth.

11. To remove the seeds, push the puree through a fine mesh strainer over a bowl.

 

12. Cover and refrigerate until cold. 

13. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature with the sauce drizzled on top.