Shakshuka

What is Shakshuka you ask?  Unique.  Tasty.  Healthy.  Vegetarian.  Heart Warming.  DELICIOUS!
In all seriousness, Shakshuka is essentially eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce.  Keep reading!
I read that Shakshuka originated in Tunisia and is similar to Moroccan cuisine.  It is something different to try and I promise you won't regret it!

Shakshuka was introduced to me when my husband and I were living on the east coast for the summer.  His family often reunites throughout the summer and cooking is designated to those who volunteer.  Needless to say, I did a lot of cooking this past summer!  Anyway, my husband's cousins were visiting one weekend and they wanted to cook a vegetarian meal they had discovered and now cook once a week.  We gave it a try and it was an instant hit!  I hope you have the same reaction and take the leap into trying something new!

Shakshuka
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 T Olive oil
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3-5 Jalapenos, seeded and minced.  (3 = mild, 4 = moderate, 5 = spicy) *See note below
• 5 Cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 t Cumin
• 1-1/2 T Paprika
• 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes  *Note - added flavor is ok.  Fire roasted could be nice.
• 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes  *Note - added flavor is ok.  Fire roasted could be nice.
• 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• 5 - 7 eggs (this depends on the size of your pan and with whom you are dining)
• Feta cheese (for garnish)
• Crusty bread, flat bread or pita bread

 *Note- I seed the jalapenos for the most part but chop a few seeds in with the mix to add some added heat.  Keep in mind I only use 3 jalapenos and have sensitive taste buds.

Directions:

1. Warm olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet or large, deep sauce pan
2. Saute onions and jalapenos until onions are soft (about 5 minutes)
3. Add garlic, cumin and paprika to the pan and stir together
4. Cook 2-3 minutes more, or until spices are fragrant
5. Add both cans of tomatoes with juices and if using, the can of black beans.  Mix well
6. Heat through and bring to a simmer.  Allow time to cook / heat through for 10-15 minutes
7. If your sauce is somewhat thick, make small indentations with your spoon where you plan to crack the eggs.  If your sauce is thinner, no sweat and read ahead!  At this time you should also taste your sauce and add some salt as needed
8. One by one crack eggs into the sauce.  I usually do a circle of eggs with one in the middle to maximize the number of eggs I can use.  Take care to do this quickly so eggs cook about the same amount of time
9. Cook eggs 5-6 minutes.  The yolk will be pretty runny, but then it mixes into the sauce as you eat.  If that freaks you out, cook for 6 minutes, but no more than 6 minutes.  This isn't meant to be hard boiled eggs in spicy tomato sauce! =)
10. Remove from heat.  Serve immediately in deep bowls and garnish with feta
11. Serve with bread (for dipping of course) and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches

I know I promised I would be posting about my recent travels, but I have much to share about my discoveries in the Caribbean and so it is taking longer than I had anticipated.  Rather than keeping you waiting, I wanted to give you an opportunity to try another delicious appetizer I made for the holiday party in PA.

I can not explain why, but for about the past 6 months I have really wanted to bake something in mini-muffin tins, besides mini-muffins of course.  Way back in the day I had seen a variety of mini-muffin tin recipes from cornbread bites topped with a tomato relish, to bacon and egg bites.  Entertaining opportunities came and went and I had yet to try one of these easy to eat creations.  Hence, when my mother-in-law suggested making Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches for the party I was all for it!  I had never cooked with leeks either so that was an added bonus!
Side Note: Yes, I get excited about leeks and mini muffin tin recipes.  It is all about the small things in life. Don't judge.

 Anyway, here is the run down on the mini quiches:

• Making the filling for the quiches is easy and can probably be done a day ahead of time and kept in the fridge if needed
• The crust is what takes some time.  My wonderful husband helped me by rolling out the pastry and cutting the circles while I placed the dough in the tins and scooped the filling.  Having the two of us working together made this much easier and saved us some time.  If you do decide to make these, just don't leave it until the last minute
• We froze the filled quiches and cooked them the following day and it worked perfectly.  It made it much easier to have them out hot when people were hungry, which was difficult since we had people dropping in and eating over the course of about 6 hours
• When it comes to taste...these are delicious!  The leek and cheddar are the most prominent flavors and are a great combination with the egg.  Depending on how equally divided the filling is, the bacon promises an added bonus but is not necessarily in every bite.  
• The quiches are slightly crispy on the outside with a fluffy, egg filled middle and are great finger foods.  Each one is bite size so it is a perfect dish for making it easy to eat, drink and chat without feeling like you are going to spill your food everywhere
• Definitely worth trying when you have the time to assemble them!

 Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches
Yields 4 dozen quiches - made in mini muffin tins

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb bacon, cooked crispy and diced into medium chunks
• 3 C leeks, white and light green parts only, medium diced
• 1-1/4 C half and half
• 1 C grated cheddar cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 T fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1 package of frozen puff pastry, using both sheets, thawed (I use Pepperidge Farms)
• cooking spray
• flour as needed for rolling pastry

Directions

1. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until browned and crispy - about 6 to 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Pour off all of the excess fat, reserving about 1-2 tablespoons in the skillet
3. Return the skillet to heat and, stirring occasionally, cook the leeks until softened, about 5 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly
4. While leeks are cooling, combine the half and half, egg, egg yolks, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl
5. Add cooled leeks and bacon to the liquid mixture and stir to combine

To assemble the mini quiches:

1. Spray the mini muffin tins with cooking spray.  If you do not have 4 dozen mini muffin tins, assemble the quiches in batches and store mixture in the fridge while one batch cooks
2. To assemble, roll out one thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured surface sing a floured rolling pin.  Roll until the pastry measures about 10"x18".  I realize this seems rather large, but trust the capabilities of your puff pastry and make sure it is well floured to make it easy to roll out to this size!
3. Once pastry is rolled, use a 3 inch circle cookie cutter (or something around 3 inches) to stamp out 3 inch circles of dough.  Each rolled out pastry will yield about 2 dozen quiches
4. Gently press the rounds into the mini muffin tins so the pastry comes slightly above the min quiche holes
5. Fill each dough round with about 1 T of the filling.  It is okay if the filling comes up to the edge of the dough.
6. Bake the quiches immediately, or freeze them to bake at a later time.  They will keep for about a month if you choose to freeze them.  If you have limited tins you can freeze these in batches.  Simply place the filled tins in the freezer for about an hour.  Once frozen, remove the quiches from the tin and store in an airtight container.  Repeat after assembling all batches.  When baking, quiches will need to be returned in batches to the mini muffin tin.
7. To bake the quiches, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake until the filling is puffed up and the crust is golden, about 20 minutes if you bake immediately, about 30-35 minutes if the quiches are frozen.  If you choose to freeze the quiche, do not thaw before baking.  Simply place frozen quiches back into the muffin tins (if removed for freezing) and bake as mentioned above.

BON APPETIT!

Breakfast for Dinner: Huevos Rancheros

This weekend I planned on making at least one big breakfast, but homebrewing and a beautiful day that begged for a long bike ride and silly lawn games occupied my mornings instead of cooking.  To compromise, Luke and I decided having breakfast for dinner on Sunday would suffice, so I tried my hand at Huevos Rancheros!

I found two recipes that sounded delicious, one in The World Cookbook and one in Real Simple Magazine, so I took the best of both worlds and combined them to make a dish that fit my tastes (baking vs. frying, black beans vs. refried beans, and a homemade tomato salsa vs. regular salsa). 
The result was tasty (although Lucas still wishes I had used refried instead of black beans)!

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients
 - 4 flour tortillas
- Olive Oil
- (1) 14oz. can of black beans, drained
- 1T lime juice
- 1/2 t Cumin
- (1) 10oz. can of diced tomatoes with chilis (*I used Rotel)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 small white onion, chopped
- 4 eggs
- (1) avocado, sliced
- Feta cheese (*Queso Fresco is a delicious Mexican cheese I would have used, but we didn't have it)
- Cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In bowl, mix together black beans, 1 T olive oil, lime juice and cumin.  Set aside.
3. Brush each tortilla with olive oil (front and back) and place on baking sheet.  Place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until slightly crispy.
4. Meanwhile, use a small food processor to mix together Rotel, garlic, and onion until well blended but slightly chunky.  
5. Heat 1-2 T olive oil in a large frying pan and add tomato mixture.  Stirring constantly, heat mixture for about 5 minutes until warmed through and slightly thicker.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
6. Using the same frying pan, heat another 1T of olive oil over medium heat and carefully crack eggs into pan, leaving yolk intact!  Reduce heat to low and cook eggs for about 5 minutes until egg white becomes a snow white color.  You can either carefully flip the egg to cook both sides, or leave the egg sunnyside up....chef's choice!  Don't stress if you break a yolk, it will still taste delicious but will be more thoroughly cooked.
7. Once eggs are cooked, assemble your Huevos Rancheros!  Divide and spread the tomato mixture among the baked tortillas followed by the black bean mixture.  Place one egg on each tortilla and then top it off with avocado, feta cheese and cilantro.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

I am sure I will make this again, and when I do I will either use smaller tortillas (and make more than 4) or I will make more eggs and place two eggs on each tortilla.  I enjoyed the serving size because I wasn't terribly hungry, but it wouldn't hurt to make a little more the next time around.  Another idea for people that enjoy some extra spice in their life: smother the top of the assembled Huevos Rancheros with additional salsa or add a touch of hot sauce!

I hope you enjoy!   
Bon Appetit!