Pasta with Egglplant, Walnut Pesto, and Ciliegine

I'd like to start by saying a big THANK YOU to all my dear classmates from Williams who have been keeping up with the Student Epicure. Your kind words last weekend were wonderful to hear and very encouraging. I hope you keep reading and cooking!

This week's recipe was inspired by the weekly recipe contest on food52, which urged us home cooks to find your best recipe using fresh mozzarella. Although my favorite use of fresh mozzarella is a simple caprese salad (a little cliched, perhaps, but delicious like tiramisu), I wanted to try something using ciliegine, which are tiny fresh mozzarella balls. I wasn't sure if this recipe would actually be realized since I kept popping them into my mouth on the walk home from the grocery store. I had beautiful Italian eggplant from Russo & Son's inimitable grocery store in Watertown. I've also been trying to eat through my cupboard in preparation for my iminent move to Worcester, so the boxes of pasta must be eaten and all the bags of Trader Joe's nuts be consumed! Et voila, with a little inspiration from Jerry Traunfeld, this recipe was born.

Another nice addition to this recipe would be some halved cherry tomatoes for an extra bit of color and a little crunch. I used tri-colored rotini, but whole wheat penne would be delicious too.

Pasta with Eggplant, Walnut Pesto, and Ciliegine
serves 2

• 2 Italian eggplants, in 1 inch cubes
• 4 large garlic cloves (unpeeled!)
• ~4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup dried pasta, like penne or rotini
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
• 8 ciliegine, halved

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large baking dish, spread eggplant with garlic cloves in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 T olive oil or until you can evenly coat the cubes by tossing. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until eggplant is tender, 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Roughly chop walnuts and set aside in a small bowl. Finely chop basil and add to bowl with remaining 2 T olive oil.
4. When eggplant is tender, remove garlic cloves and peel. Roughly chop garlic and add to walnuts and basil.
5. In a serving bowl (or you can use the pot you used to cook the pasta), toss together the eggplant, pasta, walnut-basil sauce, and ciliegine. Season with salt & pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Breakfast Eggs with Kale

Whoa, hello, world. Sorry I've been MIA. Too much weekend travel for this food blogger. After my college reunion this weekend, I look forward to spending more time cooking in Cambridge. Last weekend I was in the Berkshires to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. My parents' garden is looking lovely: vibrant beds of young lettuce, lots of potato plants, tracts of garlic shoots. Much to my surprise, their kale was ready of picking. I associate kale with the beginning of autumn -- it's a hearty vegetable meant for darker, colder nights. I brought a large bag back with me and have been amazed at the tenderness of the leaves. You don't have to cook the life out of this kale. Rather, you can just saute it a little longer than you would spinach leaves.

I also had Berkshire free-range eggs and fresh ciabatta bread. I've been jonesing for Sunday brunchy eggs and so decided to make a healthful eggs benedict-like lunch dish. Toasted ciabatta is topped with sauteed kale, followed by a runny fried egg and a sprinkling of cheese. I added garlic, chili flakes, and red onion to the kale of a little extra kick. Some nice variations on this might be: adding chopped kalamata olives to the kale or replacing the ciabatta with a toasted slice of your favorite bread.

Breakfast Eggs with Kale
serves 2

• 4 T olive oil
  
• 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 t. red chili flakes
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 5 c. chopped kale (I used cavalo nero), large stems removed
• 2 slices toasted ciabatta
  
• 2 eggs
• Parmesan for sprinkling

In a large frying pan, heat 2 T of oil over med-high heat. Add garlic, chili flakes, and onion, sauteing until onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add kale and continue to saute. Using tongs makes it easier to evenly cook the kale until wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove kale from pan and set aside. Stick bread in the toaster. Over high heat, heat another 2 T of oil in the same pan. When hot, add eggs and fry 2 minutes per side so that yolk is still runny.

To assemble, place one slice of toast on a plate. Top with half of the kale, followed by an egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and eat immediately!

Whole Wheat Pasta with Rosemary and Garlic

My apologies for the delayed post this week. Five days of epic eating in Seattle will do that to a girl. I ate some truly inspiring meals that made me want to give up my East Coast life and flee West where the oysters are melony sweet. The stand out meal was at poppy, where I was tempted to lick clean every dish of the wondrous thali prepared by chef Jerry Traunfeld. But since being back, I've felt the need to eat a bit more simply and a little bit lighter, Italian sausages at Fenway aside.

Waking up a little hungover this morning (the joys of my pre-med school life), all I've been craving is pasta. I immediately thought of this dish, which is yet another week night staple taught to me by my parents. I'm not typically one to advocate whole wheat pasta, as I love the full-carb bleached white flour version, but this dish is different. The ingredients are so simple that you need the nuttiness of the whole wheat pasta to round out the flavors. My mom recently turned me on to the Whole Wheat Organic Italian Pasta from Fratelli Mantova, which resembles a whole wheat linguine. It's sensational and I would urge everyone to seek it out.

A special thanks to my darling friend Lex for being an eager taste tester over lunch. I love when my friends are free during the day and put up with my propensity to make food too spicy at times.
Whole Wheat Pasta with Rosemary and Garlic
serves 2

• whole wheat pasta for 2 people (about 2 quarter sized bunches)
  
• 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 t finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/8 - 1/4 t red chili flakes depending on how much spice you can tolerate
  
• 4 T olive oil
• Parmesan cheese for serving
  

First things first, get the pasta going according to the directions on the package. When the pasta has begun to cook, start on the sauce. Heat a medium saute pan (I use my cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat until warm. Add olive oil. When olive oil is hot and shimmery, but not smoking, add the garlic, rosemary, and chili flakes. Stir constantly just until garlic starts to turn brown and then immediately remove pan from heat. Drain pasta and add to the saute pan. Toss to fully coat in sauce. Serve right away with Parmesan cheese.

Daddy's Seitan Sandwiches

In honor of my father turning the big 6-0 today, I thought I'd post a recipe he taught me. In fact, eating this seitan sandwich is one of my earliest food memories with him (second only to his famous omelets, which is for another time). I know some people are going to be incredulous about cooking with seitan. If you think about it as meat substitute, then yes, I'm with you that eating meat would be preferable. But if you think of it as just seitan, then I believe you will be surprised at how much you like its pillowy texture and slightly sweet flavor.

I grew up in a quasi-vegetarian household where Dad's non-meat-eating habits usually predominated. Mom also tended to eschew dairy and simple carbohydrates (this was way pre-Atkins, mind you). Sauteed seitan with onions and BBQ sauce on a (white) baguette was a happy medium. I don't remember ever really eating red meat as a child, so I was delighted with these spicy and savory sandwiches that Dad made. Tofu, tempeh, and seitan were all weekly stars at the table.

For all you students and folks on a budget, seitan gains additional bonus points for its price, which is pretty dang cheap. I found mine at Whole Foods, though I'm sure it's available at most health food stores and co-ops. For BBQ sauce, I'm going to give a shameless plug for KC Masterpiece, which was developed by a physician, no less. A second good option is Bone Suckin' Sauce. Buy a really delicious crunchy loaf of French bread. It will take the sandwich to a whole new level.

Daddy's Seitan Sandwiches
generously serves 2

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 oz package seitan, sliced into thin strips
• 1/3 c your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1 loaf French bread

In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to caramelize, about 10-12 minutes. Add seitan and cook until just warmed through. Add BBQ sauce and stir to coat onions and seitan. Serve immediately in French bread. Leftovers are good reheated the next day!

Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad

This post is a little early because I'm supposed to leave for London tomorrow AM. Looks unlikely, but just in case, wanted to make sure I didn't depart without posting this week's recipe!

I suffer from PDD - Pasta Deficiency Disorder. I could eat pasta morning, noon, and night. But I'll admit that a diet of unfettered carbs just isn't healthy. Lucky for me, Mark Bittman wrote an article some time ago encouraging us to continue eating our pasta, but to shake it up: instead of preparing a lot of pasta with a little sauce, make a lot of vegetable-inclined sauce with a small amount of pasta. This changed my life. This week's recipe is inspired by this concept -- it's a leafy green salad with pasta mixed in, along with tuna, olives, and tomatoes.

Until recently, I had almost stopped eating tuna, due to the high levels of mercury and the large amount of bycatch from tuna fishing. However, I was delighted to discover that troll or pole-and-line caught tuna in the US is actually OK (for more information, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium). I jumped for joy and immediately went to track some down. I will admit, the can I bought was more expensive than Sunkist, but when I tasted the tuna, boy, I promise it was worth the price. Canned tuna often has a bland, almost tinny flavor. This one actually tasted like fresh, robust fish.

A few notes about this recipe: a good quality olive oil is a must. There are many good $15 bottles out there and it's worth the investment for the flavor it will bring to your salads. I had also wanted to include capers, but could not open the new jar I had bought. I ran it under hot water, tapped it with a knife, tied a rubber band around the lid, but to no avail. I think it would add a nice zing, so feel free to add a teaspoon if you have some in your fridge.

Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
generously serves 2

• slightly more than a quarter-sized round of angel hair whole wheat pasta (I like Barilla's fortified protein version)
• 3.5 oz arugula (two generous handfuls per bowl)
  
• regular olive oil for cooking
• 1/2 t red chili flakes
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 1/4 c chopped kalamata olives
• 1 can tuna, preferably troll or pole-and-line US caught
• 4 Campari tomatoes, chopped
• good quality olive oil
• a few squirts fresh lemon juice
• salt & pepper

First put medium pot of water on to boil. Follow cooking directions on package for al dente angel hair.

Divide arugula between serving bowls/plates. Toss with good quality olive oil (~1 T per bowl), a little lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

As pasta cooks, in a small saute pan, heat about 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add chili flakes and anchovy. As oil heats, use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up anchovy until it has "dissolved" into the oil. Add olives and stir briefly to coat. Add tuna and break up chunks into smaller pieces. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

By now the pasta should be fully cooked. Drain and return to pot. Pour in the tuna and another tablespoon of the good quality olive oil and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and olive oil as necessary. Divide between bowls of arugula and serve immediately. Arugula will wilt a bit -- don't worry, that's what is supposed to happen!

Furikake Tofu with Sake Spinach

My latest cookbook obsession is Everyday Harumi, which I picked up at the Harvard Book Store last week after reading about it on Saveur's Top 100 List. Harumi Kuirhara is a housewife turned TV star in Japan. She has been called the Martha Stewart of Japan, but from this cookbook, that does not seem quite apt. Harumi is sweet, kind, and warm and her recipes are elegant and simple. I love her emphasis on textures and vegetables. I had never thought about how ginger tastes different when it is minced, grated, and julienned.

These recipes are inspired by Harumi, though not from her cookbook itself. I was actually introduced to both dishes by my parents, who like this for a quick weeknight meal. I don't usually eat rice (all my time in China instilled in me that it's filler food!), but I think these recipes lend themselves well to being served over steamed Japanese rice.

A note on furikake: it is a delicious Japanese condiment that comes in a wide variety of mixtures and is meant to be sprinkled over food. The kind I use is called nori katsuo furikake and consists of toasted sesame seeds, nori, bonito flakes, dried egg, and other seasonings. I bought this one at the Super 88 in Allston, but I think you should be able to track it down at Whole Foods or other specialty food shops.

Furikake Tofu
serves 2

• 1 package firm tofu
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
  
• soy sauce
• furikake
• canola or peanut oil for cooking

Drain and slice tofu into 1/2 inch slices along the short horizontal (like you are slicing a loaf of bread). Place tofu on a plate lined with paper towels. By drying the tofu, it will color better when cooked. Over high heat, heat a nonstick frying pan big enough to hold all the tofu. When hot, pour in just enough oil to lightly coat surface. Add tofu slices and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Flip slices and cook until the other side is golden. Remove from heat and drizzle with soy sauce and sprinkle with scallions and furikake.

Sake Spinach
serves 2

• 1 10 oz bag spinach (not baby spinach!)
• canola or peanut oil
• salt
• 1 1/2 t sake (you can substitute dry vermouth)
  
• a couple squeezes of fresh lemon juice
• sesame seeds to garnish

Rinse the pan used for the tofu. Return to high heat and add 1 t canola oil. When hot, add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and roughly chop. Season with salt, sake, and lemon juice to taste. Serve garnished with sesame seeds.

Special THANK YOU to Uncle Daniel & Aunt Jill for the beautiful bamboo serving plate!

Spring Salad with Yogurt Dressing

My fellow Cantabrigians, I believe we can safely say that spring has sprung! The past few weeks I have longingly read about the rhubarb, asparagus, and ramps that fellow foodies in warmer climes have been enjoying. But with the leaves unfurling and the daffodils blooming, I feel I can say that I'm done eating kale and potatoes for the next six months.

For me, this salad encompasses that greenness of spring: a mixture of herbs paired with chopped lettuces and crisp cucumber. I wish I could take credit for the original inspiration for this recipe, but that belongs to the inimitable Ana Sortun, the chef and owner of Oleana and Sofra Bakery. These are two of my favorite foodie haunts around our fair city. When I don't have the time, money, or transportation to visit either place (Sofra is located on the edge of Watertown), I'm mollified by Ms. Sortun's cookbook Spice. Many of the restaurants' best recipes are included, though they are not for the novice chef or anyone who doesn't have at least an hour to spend on cooking dinner. The recipes are intricate, yes, but always delicious. As I've cooked my way through, I've found ways to cut corners and adapt so that I don't find myself bursting into tears when I realize that I've forgotten to make my own ras-el-hanout from scratch.

This salad is adapted from the recipe for "Chopped Romaine and Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dressing." I've changed some of the proportions and omitted a number of steps (by the time I start making dinner, I could care less about toasting nuts). Basically, this is a simplified version that any chef armed with a good cutting board and sharp knife can tackle.

Spring Salad with Yogurt Dressing
below are the quantities per single serving

• 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 generous handful arugula
  
• 2 T chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• 1 T chopped mint
• 1 T chopped dill
• 2 T chopped walnuts
• 1/3 of an English cucumber, chopped

• 1 1/2 T yogurt, preferably fat-free Greek
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 t red wine or sherry vinegar
• 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
• fresh ground pepper and salt
  
• cayenne pepper

Coarsely chop romaine and arugula and place in a serving bowl. Top with herbs, walnuts, and cucumber. In a small mug, mix together with a fork yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Pour over salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with several dashes of cayenne.

Curry Coconut Hummus

I love hummus. It never lasts long in my apartment. When I know it's hiding in my fridge, I'm likely to sneak into the kitchen after bedtime and eat it straight with a spoon. Hummus lends itself to so many variations that I usually err on the purist's side of simply using tahini, garlic, and lemon juice when I make it. But I recently tasted over ten varieties at a farmer's market stall, with everything from cilantro and eggplant to muhamara-style hummus. I was so wowed by a mild curry hummus that I set off to recreate it at home and voila, you have today's recipe!

My mom has been encouraging me to no longer eat canned food because of the chemicals that might leak from the cans' plastic linings. However, using canned chickpeas allows you to make this recipe in under five minutes and I'm often too lazy to bother with dried beans. But fear not, Eden canned beans are BPA-free and a good choice if you are concerned about using canned products or aren't interested in using dried beans (though I do give directions for doing so below).

Two important notes about ingredients for this recipe. Use 100% real coconut milk and don't opt for the reduced fat version -- it doesn't have enough flavor. Also, I used very fresh curry powder for this recipe. I know that curry powder is one of those spices that can hide unused in dark cupboard corners for years, so depending on the freshness of yours, you might need to add more to the hummus. Just make sure to taste test as you go along!

Curry Coconut Hummus

• 1 15 oz can chickpeas or 1/2 cup dried chickpeas*
• 1/4 c. 100% real coconut milk
• 1 1/2 t curry powder
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
  
• 1 t or more kosher salt
• several dashes cayenne pepper or aleppo chili powder
  

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients. Pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, adding more coconut milk if too thick or more curry powder to punch up the flavor.

*To cook dried chickpeas, soak overnight in 6 cups of water. Drain and add 6 cups of new water to a small pot. Cook for one hour at a low boil until tender. Drain again before using. If you forget to soak the chickpeas, don't worry about it. Just increase your cooking time (it took me about 1 hour 45 minutes).

Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich

I've never been a big fan of breakfast. I rather sleep 10 more minutes and just grab a cup of coffee on my way to school or work. But I've been trying to reform and the only way to do that is to have breakfast become so enticing that I wake up looking forward to it. Here's my favorite of late: avocado, tomato, and lemon mayo with a fried egg. Not only does this sandwich always feel a bit indulgent, but it only takes 5 minutes to make and the price is right. Mere dollars for such a satisfying start to the day.

On that note, I'm going to start adding tags about time and price for the dishes. When I think about the student budget, it encompasses more than just a frugality of funds, but also a squeeze on time. I hope none of the dishes I include on the SE will ever be more than $20 total and will never take more than 30 minutes of active time. Enjoy!

Egg Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato, Avocado, and Lemony Mayo

For each sandwich you will need:

• 1 English muffin, toasted
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 fried egg
• 1 thick slice tomato
• 1 T mayo
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• ample salt and pepper
• olive oil for cooking the egg
  

If you don't have a toaster, throw the English muffin under the broiler in your oven. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over high heat. When hot, pour in about 1 T olive oil. When the olive oil is shiny hot, break in the egg. Cook until whites have thickened but top of the egg is still runny, about 2 minutes. Flip egg and turn off heat. In a small bowl, mix together mayo and lemon zest. When muffin is toasted, use a knife to spread the avocado on one side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with egg, followed by the tomato slice. Salt tomato slice too. Spread lemony mayo on the top muffin half. Voila!

Soba Noodle Bowl

Soba noodles are my new obsession. In all honesty, I'm somewhat of a noodle whore and my cravings will often be satisfied by almost any pasta. However, soba is my choice of the moment and I found an organic brand at the Super 88 that is both delicious and cheap (about $3 for 3 noodle bundles). I have no doubt that soba can also easily be found at Whole Foods or perhaps even Stop & Shop these days.

There are myriad ways to prepare soba and what you will find below is a rather bastardized Asian preparation. But it's delicious and filling, as well as reasonably quick. I love composed salads, like salade nicoise or cobb salad, and I think this falls into that realm. Over a bed of seasoned noodles is a mix of vegetables. In this version, I've used carrots, broccoli, bean sprouts, tofu, and dried mushrooms, but I can think of many variations that would be equally lovely. I'd recommend trying it also with sweet potato cubes, thinly sliced red bell pepper, spinach, pea pods, baby bok choy, or shredded savoy cabbage. For you carnivores out there, the tofu can easily be substituted with shredded leftover chicken or a little beef or pork sauteed with a sprinkle of soy sauce until crumbly. I've never tried the dish with fish, but I think some leftover salmon would be delicious too.

The point is this is an opportunity to improvise, use up what's leftover in your fridge, and get creative. Below are the directions for the vegetables I used, but you can throw caution to the wind and use whatever you like, just make sure to taste test the vegetables for doneness along the way.

Soba Noodle Bowl
serves 2

• 1 bundle soba noodles
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• 2 1/2 c. mixed vegetables cut into bite size pieces (carrots, bean sprouts, dried mushrooms, broccoli, tofu)
• chili garlic sauce
  
• optional: 2 fried eggs to top the bowls
  

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and then salt the water. Add the soba and cook as directed on the package. Using a pasta fork, remove noodles when done and drain in a colander. Be sure to save the boiling water! Divide noodles between two bowls and season with 1 t soy sauce and about 1/4 t sesame oil each. Set aside.

Now it's time to cook the vegetables. I recommend cooking the "hardest" ones first. By that, I mean cook first the ones that will take the longest, such as carrots, potatoes etc. Cooking time will vary depending on the vegetable and their size, but don't worry, just taste as you cook and keep track of the doneness. Worst case scenario: you overcook them a bit, which is really not the end of the world. Blanch veg one by one in boiling water until tender and then remove with a slotted spoon to drain. Make sure to save the water for the next one. The order for the vegetables I used was: carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, tofu, bean sprouts. After draining, arrange vegetables over noodles and top with little dashes of chili garlic sauce to taste (don't over do it - you can always add more later). Top with a fried egg, if you so desire.

A Simple Chinese Dinner

Although I lived in China for two years, I am always embarrassed to admit that I didn't learn to cook many Chinese dishes while I was there. There were too many delicious and cheap restaurants to make cooking and washing dishes even vaguely appealing. However, I wanted to make sure I had some favorites under my belt, so I arranged for our ai-yi (housekeeper) to show us how to make some classics: eggs with tomatoes and baby bok choy with mushrooms and oyster sauce. These recipes are simple and quick, as well as perfect for the student budget. The only crazy ingredient involved is the oyster sauce, which can be found at Whole Foods or an Asian market. It's also delicious drizzled on steamed broccoli or stir fried bean sprouts with a fried egg on top. In a pinch, you can omit the oyster sauce and season the vegetables with a little soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. My best advice to you is to eat the dishes hot hot hot -- Chinese food just doesn't do well when served cold. The quantities below serve two people. You might also want to make some rice to go along with everything. I recently discovered that Trader Joe's sells brown rice frozen that cooks in 3 minutes in the microwave.

A special thanks to my friend Chrissy for being a wonderful Chef #2 last night!

Egg and Tomato

Staples: salt, pepper, vegetable oil (peanut or canola). Olive oil is OK too in a pinch.

• 4 eggs, whisked with a fork

I usually opt for 4 egg whites and 2 yolks to tame the cholesterol.

• 1 t dry vermouth
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1 c chopped tomato, about 2 plum tomatoes
• optional: MSG
  

Whisk vermouth into eggs. Set aside. Heat a large frying pan (or wok, if you have one) over high heat. Add 2 T oil and heat. When oil is hot and shiny, but not smoking, pour in eggs. As soon as eggs begin to set, push them to the side of the pan and pour the tomatoes into the empty space. Sprinkle on sugar and MSG, if using. Give the tomatoes a few stirs and then fold into the eggs, flipping over once or twice to fully cook. If not using MSG, season with salt now. Remove eggs and tomatoes to a bowl and cover with a plate to keep warm.

Baby Bok Choy with Mixed Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce

Staples: vegetable oil (peanut or canola). Olive oil is OK too in a pinch.

• about 8 baby bok choy, washed well and cut in half or into quarters wedges
  
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 lb mixed mushrooms, I used a combination of oyster and button
• 1 1/2 T oyster sauce

Rinse out the pan used above and wipe down with a paper towel. Return to heat and over high heat again add 2 T oil. When oil is hot and shiny, but not smoking, add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add baby bok choy and reduce heat to medium, stirring to incorporate garlic. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes, checking to make sure nothing is burning. Now add the mushrooms and stir a couple of times. Cover again and cook until baby bok choy is tender and the mushrooms have released their moisture. Remove from heat and pour on oyster sauce. Serve immediately.

Shakshouka!

Whoa, that's a mouthful! I first discovered this Middle Eastern breakfast staple at the inimitable Sofra Bakery and Cafe in Watertown, MA. I worship the chef Ana Sortun and this wonderful dish only adds to her allure. The recipe came by way of Libya and consists of tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices in which whole eggs are poached until just cooked. This version is inspired by the recipe I found on Saveur , though I have amended it to more closely resemble the version at Sofra by pureeing the vegetables before poaching the eggs.

I love to eat this for dinner, though obviously it is delicious for any meal of the day. I add a little Sriracha for some heat, but you can also try fresh or pickled jalapenos or a dash of cayenne. If you want to include some more vegetables, add some diced green bell pepper after you have browned the onions. This dish is quite dramatic served in a skillet at the table with some warm pita bread. (TIP: if you freeze fresh pita and then toss it back into the microwave for 30 seconds you can really stretch its longevity.) If you aren't cooking for anyone but yourself, you can also freeze half of the tomato mixture and use it another time.

My mother brings me amazing multicolored eggs from The Berkshires. If you can find a source for local eggs, buy them! Trust me, you can taste the difference.

Shakshouka
after Saveur

Staples: olive oil, salt and pepper
Special equipment: a frying pan, skillet, or small pan that can be put in the oven

• 1 small-medium yellow onion roughly chopped
  
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and whacked a couple of times to squish
• 1 t cumin
• 1 T paprika
• 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
• fresh local eggs

In a large skillet (cast iron is amazing, if you have one), saute the onions in 3-4 T olive oil over med-high heat until soft. Add the garlic and continue sauteing until fragrant. Add the cumin and paprika and keep stirring for another minute. Add the tomatoes with all their juice. At this point, you can also add your spice of choice if you want some heat. Reduce heat so that the mixture simmers gently until it has thickened (about 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Scoop everything into a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Return puree to the skillet and over medium heat bring the it back to a simmer. Turn on the oven broiler. Make as many small wells in the bubbling sauce as eggs you plan to use. Make sure to space them so that the eggs do not run together, though it isn't the end of the world if they do. Gently crack eggs into wells. Simmer until eggs begin to set. You will see the whites start to thicken after about 4-5 minutes. Place skillet under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until desired doneness is reached. Spoon the eggs with sauce into small bowls and serve with warm pita.