comfort foods

One Skillet Spicy Eggs & Potatoes

January 19, 2016 4 Comments

I am FINALLY able to post my skillet spicy eggs and potatoes recipe! I make these eggs ALL THE TIME and I always start out saying “Today’s the day. I’m going to take pictures and I’m definitely going to post it.” Then, as I’m licking the plate clean, I say out loud “Oh mannnnnnn! I meant to take pictures!” Lather, rinse, repeat.

And you know what else? I’ve made this for company more times than I can remember and I always get requests for a recipe. Last time, I served it alongside this baked chocolate chunk panettone french toast. It was the perfect brunch. No wonder brunch is my favorite meal. I could live on brunch. And perfect eggs.

These are PERFECT eggs. And they cook perfectly in a cast iron skillet. Remember that ole think your mom gave you for your birthday one year and you just looked at her with confusion? Yesssss, that one. It’s time to bring it out from storage, rub it down with some oil and cook this. No really, cook this with it’s golden, runny yolks and melty goat cheese atop beautiful, fingerling potatoes. And if you really want to go all the way, use some nice, crusty bread to sop up all that spicy sauce. I like to eat mine with grilled pieces of pita, if I’m feeling the love for extra carbs. Let’s be honest, when have I ever not wanted extra carbs?!

I can’t help it. The fiery tomato sauce with tender pieces of potatoes, pillow eggs, and tangy goat cheese call my name as I get them ready. This time was no exception; I had to channel all my willpower to hold off eating this yumminess for as long as I did. I think I deserve an extra serving for my herculean efforts.

Just look at it. No, I mean LOOK at it. Don’t you wish this was your breakfast today?! That’s the thing. My skillet spicy eggs and potatoes are so versatile that you can have them for breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, snack, dessert or whenever you want! I would eat these for every meal if I could. I don’t think the Mister would mine either. My five year old insisted on 2 entire loaves of pita and refuses to eat the eggs if the yolk isn’t runny. She makes me a proud mama!

We start with beautiful, delicate fingerling potatoes. Sometimes I use the gold ones and other times I use red ones. It just depends on what I have on hand. Because it’s a one pot meal, the potatoes soak up the stuck on bits of tomato sauce as it adheres to the potatoes and caramelizes, giving it that nice, deep brown crust. Behold, the glorious potato!

Once the potatoes are cooked, they are reacquainted with their good friend, the tomato sauce. Then you dig little wells in the lovely cast iron pan (or regular pan) you dug up, and add an egg inside each well. And THEN you top with tangy, crumbly goat cheese, stick a lid on and cook until the whites cook and the yolks set. I’ll confess, breaking the center and watching the sunny yolk ooze out of the egg is my absolute favorite part of eating these eggs. Then as it mixes with the tomato, it forms a rich, creamy sauce. Oh be still my heart!

There are many variations of this dish. I first had as a traditional middle eastern dish called shakshusha which is just a eggs cooked in a tomato sauce. It can also be called eggs in purgatory. The first time I saw the addition of eggs was in this New York Times recipe. Since then I’ve experimented and added my own touches until it became what I present to you as skillet spicy eggs and potatoes.

Helpful tips:

The less starchy the potato, the better it’ll hold up. If you use a Russet or Idaho potato, chances are, because of the high starch content, the potatoes will fall apart, leaving a mushy mess. If you can’t find fingerlings, red potatoes or new potatoes work well too. Leaving the skin on helps keep the potato together, especially if it’s a thin-skinned potato. Plus the skin is loaded with nutritious goodness.
Dry the potatoes thoroughly before adding them to the hot oil, otherwise the water will cause the oil to splatter. The best way to dry them is to blot them with a paper towel or a dry dish towel.
To see if the eggs are cooked, gently shake the pan. If the eggs jiggle a lot, they aren’t cooked. A little jiggle is perfect. That means the yolks are still runny. Covering the pan is essential to this process. The lid traps the steam into the pan and uses that heat to gently steam the eggs. In the end, they eggs will look like they’re cooked over-easy. You can cook the eggs until the yolks are completely cooked, if you really want but I strongly discourage it. You want the runny yolk to flavor the sauce. Trust me.
while cooking the tomato sauce, use a potato masher, or the back of a wooden spoon, lightly mash the tomatoes to release some of the liquid. Do not puree it, otherwise you will lose the chunky texture that makes this sauce hearty.
When making wells for the eggs, try to surround each well with pieces of the potatoes so that the eggs aren’t fully mixed with the sauce and can cook in small circles. The potatoes will create a barrier between eggs and tomato sauce and prevent them from mixing too much.
If you’re looking for a really spicy kick, like I do, add a little bit of your favorite hot sauce. I’ve used sirarcha with a lot of success. Mix it into the tomato sauce after the sauce is cooked so the depth of the sirarcha will stand up to the acidity of the tomatoes.
Serve with crusty bread, crostinis, or simply grilled pita triangles. The potatoes have enough texture that you don’t have to have another carb but if you like to dip bread into sauces, this sauce is perfect for that purpose.

Skillet Spicy Eggs & Potatoes

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 4 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ garam masala
½ tsp paprika
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp chili powder or to taste
2 oz goat cheese
4 whole eggs
2 cans 15.5 oz diced tomatoes
10 oz fingerling or baby red potatoes, quartered (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp cilantro for garnish
black pepper if desired
4 pieces of crusty bread or pita triangles

Instructions

Heat a 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add garam masala and salt. Add tomatoes and once they start to simmer, add paprika, and chili powder. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Using the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher, gently mash the tomato mixture to release the liquid. Add mint, cover again and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Remove tomato sauce into a separate bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to high heat and add remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add potatoes and stir to coat potatoes with whatever tomato sauce remains in the pan. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, until the potatoes become crispy. Turn the potatoes to cook the other side, until they become tender.
Reduce heat to low and add the tomato sauce on top of the potatoes and bring to a simmer. Create 4 wells and crack an into each well. Crumble goat cheese evenly top of the eggs and tomato sauce. Cover with lid and simmer for 7-8 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to desired doneness.
Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot, with bread.

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry

January 11, 2016 Leave a Comment

Happy 2016! I’m so excited about blogging again, after my one week hiatus, that I can barely sit still as I write this post. It turns out that I love this blog; it’s become an integral part of my life and I want to thank each and every one of my readers for being a part of this journey with me.

And now that the sappy stuff is out of the way, let’s have a candid discussion about this butternut squash and red lentil curry. You guys, I was expecting this dish to be just okay. I thought I’d have to tinker with the spices and make it a few more times before I posted the recipe but it was fantabulous on the first try. I want to eat it by the spoonfuls. Okay, okay, who am I kidding?! I DID eat a spoonful…

…or ten in the process…

It’s a perfect harmony of sweet and fiery, in all it’s creamy glory. The butternut squash simmers with the red lentils and melts away to this ribbon of sweetness as it laces its way through the lentils, and infuses itself with the aromatic spices to create the most ah-mazingly rich curry. I have leftovers in the fridge and I’m already thinking about when I’m going to make it again. That’s how much I love it.

That, and I stockpiled pretty much all of the butternut squash at Trader Joe’s this past fall. Guys, I’m not kidding, I have bags and bags and bags and bags…well, you get the point…of butternut squash in my freezer. I think I have a real problem.

With my endless supply of butternut squash and recent obsession, I have posted so many butternut squash recipes, like my caramelized butternut squash and onion with goat cheese pizza (which, by the way, I just found out was posted on foodgawker!) And of course, there is the roasted butternut squash and chicken sausage lasagna.

My love for all things butternut squash runs so deep that I’m always trying to find new ways to incorporate it into more dishes (plus, remember, I hoarded all the butternut squash from Trader Joe’s?!). Did I mention that I just got back from a week long vacation in balmy Florida, the land of sunshine and beaches year round, to the bone-chilling tundra of Chicago? Winter is indeed upon us and I’m still cringing thinking about the -16 degree wind chill we saw yesterday. Brrrrrr!

And, as I’m watching big, fat, fluffy, snowflakes fall while I write this post, I want comfort food. Simple, filling, warm-my-soul kind of deliciousness in a bowl. When I mean simple, I really mean the Indian essential of simple: lentils. I’m a daal chaawal (lentils and rice) kinda girl– it’s the way to my heart, hands down! Enter the butternut squash and red lentil curry.

But first, I have a confession to make. Growing up, my mom would make dal A LOT and I hated it. My love affair with lentil, sadly started off on very, very shaky grounds. I had this inexplicable, deep-rooted hatred for lentils and I felt like my mom would channel that and cook it just to tick me off. I would have rather skipped the meal than be forced to eat lentils.

That was then and this is now, where lentils and I enjoy a fiber and protein filled life together. But this happened later in life. I mean WAAAAYYY later on, like after I had my first apartment and I realized how easy they are to cook, as well as a cheap source of protein.

I’m going to tell you right now, you don’t want to skip the lemon. The tartness from the lemon really highlights the sweetness from the squash but also tames the heat. So seriously, DON’T SKIP THE LEMON! And if you can, use fresh lemons. I love the way fresh lemons have this bright burst of flavor and command attention.

They’re very much like my three-year-old in that way…intense and demanding…

I ate this with brown basmati rice because I’m a grown-up and grown-ups who have made a resolution to eat better are supposed to eat brown rice. At least that’s what I tell myself. I actually DO like the taste of brown basmati rice but serve it with any rice you want. OR a crusty bread/chappati. Or you can be a rebel, cut the carbs and eat it by itself but my love for carbs knows no bounds and I have to have it with rice, albeit brown rice. Just remember, squeeze that lemon wedge on top!

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 6-8 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
12 oz butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp vegetable oil (olive or coconut oil works too)
1 tsp whole mustard seeds
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander powder
2–4 curry leaves (optional)
2 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
lemon wedges for garish and serving
2 tbsp additional chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in a pot at medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds* and toast until the cumin seeds become dark brown. Add in chopped and saute until onions become soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and grated ginger and stir until the garlic and ginger become fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add garam masala and cook for 30 seconds, until toasted. Add in tomato, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, and coriander powder. Cook until tomatoes melt into the mixture and the oil starts to separate from the rest of the mixture, about 3-5 minutes. Add curry leaves, if desired.
Add butternut squash and saute to combine with the tomato-onion mixture. Stir in lentils and slowly add water, 1 cup at a time. Turn heat down to low and simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and squash has dissolved into the lentils.
Take off heat and stir in lemon juice and 3 tbsp cilantro.
Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with remaining cilantro, if desired. Serve with rice and/or crusty bread/chappati.

Notes

*the seeds will splatter so use a splatter screen if necessary or cover with a lid, leaving room for the heat and steam to escape

30-Minute Marinara Sauce

December 13, 2015 2 Comments

What’s not to love about marinara? The tangy, slightly acidic bite of tomatoes, soft, sweet onions, the complex flavors of the finely chopped herbs! Oh, I wish you could take a bite of this sauce! And did I mention the versatility of this goodness in a jar? On pasta, as a pizza sauce, as a dipping sauce for breadsticks and calzones, there are so many ways to use marinara I could make countless posts just with recipes for those dishes alone. But a lot of people are so intimidated by making it fresh– enter the jarred sauce. But, stop. STOP. Put the store brought marinara sauce and slowly walk away. It’s not as hard as you think it is. My 30-Minute Marinara Sauce takes…well, 30 minutes to make and you’ll think twice about buying jarred sauce again.

When my oldest was a toddler, she insisted on having psh-ghet-tiiiii as often as possible. As a result, we’ve eaten a lot of spaghetti over the years. While marinara sauce is a relatively low-fat sauce, I wanted to make it a vehicle to deliver as much nutrition to my then three year old as possible. I came up with the perfect solution: chia seeds. Yes, CHIA SEEDS. In the sauce. Surprise! These little seeds sitting in your cupboard can be used in something other than smoothies. And they just sort of melt into the sauce so you can’t even taste them. Sneaky, sneaky!

I prefer chunky, “meaty” marinara sauce. They offer a sharp contrast to the texture of whatever they’re paired with. Top some al dente pasta with the marinara sauce, add some hand-shaven parmesan cheese (or grated if you’re in that camp) paired with a crusty piece of bread and you’ve just created my carb-friendly favorite. There is just something about a homemade pot of marinara sauce that puts a smile of my face. In fact, as soon as I finished making it, I grabbed a crusty roll and dipped right in.

Should you be so lucky as to get a piece of the perfectly softened garlic in the marinara, you are in for a piece of treat. While uncooked, the garlic is strong and pungent but once cooked in the sauce, it becomes this soft, sweet chewable treat. I fish out the pieces of garlic. I eat them off my kids’ plates. I offer extra dessert to them if they give me their garlic. I am the garlic hoarder.

30-Minute Marinara is the perfect sauce to make over the weekend, store in an airtight container in the fridge and use during the week. It keeps in the fridge up to 2 weeks and even longer in the freezer, about 3 months. Or if you’re canner, can it and make it last EVEN LONGER (if you don’t eat it first). I’m not a canner because food doesn’t last in my house long enough to be canned. And you put in a nifty mason jar, it’s a great present. Giving someone a homemade jar of marinara sauce: now that’s love!

30-Minute Marinara Sauce

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 8 cups 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz whole, peeled tomatoes
`3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh minced parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp chia seeds
3 cups warm water

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot, on medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until they become translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minutes.
Add in tomato puree and whole tomatoes. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher, lightly mash the mixture to break up the whole tomatoes, leaving some pieces.
Add in sugar, salt, basil, thyme, oregano and bay leaves. Stir in water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to prevent sticking.
Take off heat and stir in parsley and chia seeds.

Caramelized Butternut Squash & Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza

December 11, 2015 1 Comment

We came home from a winter recital at my four year old’s preschool one night this week, where she and her friends put on the most adorable performance and the Mister asked the dreaded question: “What’s for dinner?”

“Pizza.” I replied.

“Pizza.” He repeated, trying not to sound disappointed. I preheated the oven, pulled out out the pizza from the fridge, loaded with creamy, caramelized butternut squash and sweet red onions with dollops of goat cheese and fresh slices of mozzarella cheese. He eyed the pizza uncertainly and I smiled to myself and helped the kids get ready for bed, while waiting for the oven.

With the kids finally asleep, we sat down to eat.

“OHMYGOD! WHAT. IS. THIS?!” The Mister asked, as he crammed mouthfuls of the caramelized butternut squash and goat cheese pizza into his mouth. “You are a genious!”

Ahhh, what every woman wants to hear from her husband! But really, I’m not genious. I just love pizza; if I could, I would eat it for every meal for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. I’m convinced you can pass it down through genetics because my children are also pizza freaks and may their children also be pizza freaks. But when I say pizza, you’re thinking a chewy, carb-loaded pie, with mountains of cheese and a tangy red sauce, which is usually what my kids have in mind.

Nope, but my pizza is 100% different. My pizza has a crispy yet chewy, ultra-thin, HOMEMADE white whole crust (recipe forthcoming) with a light brush of an olive oil and honey dressing, oven roasted and caramelized butternut squash and red onions, dotted with tangy, creamy goat cheese, and fresh mozzarella. Did I mention the cranberries? Oh, the DELICIOUS dried cranberries! Guys, I think I found my new favorite pizza. I’ll give credit where credit is due and I was inspired by this sweet and spicy butternut squash pizza recipe I came across the other day. Of course, I had to add my own twist to it, because that’s where the fun is! The best part is, I can eat it without doing major damage to all the effort I’ve been putting into eating healthy again.

I’m a big fan of oven roasting vegetables. It caramelizes the naturally occurring sugars in the vegetables and softens them, without taking away from their texture. I also noticed that I don’t crave sweets after a meal if my meal has roasted veggies or a naturally sweeter component in the meal itself. And given my butternut squash kick lately, I’ve been stockpiling precut and cubed butternut squash and throwing them in the freezer for use during the year. While I love roasted a whole, fresh squash, sometimes it’s just more convenient to buy the pre-peeled and cut ones. And roasting doesn’t have to be a production. I do a little salt, pepper, a tiny bit of olive oil, sometimes thinly sliced slivers of garlic and a really hot oven, heated to 425 degrees F.

The dried cranberries and the wheat crust are a match made in heaven. The tart and sweet, plump cranberries provide the perfect contrast to the creaminess of the squash. Though the ingredient that really brings everything together in this pizza is the hint of crushed red pepper flakes. I know, I know, a lot of people don’t really eat spice but I’m not saying cover the entire thing in red pepper flakes. Just a little bit, sprinkled as a final touch before putting it in the oven provides an incredible, warm lingering taste, after the pizza has been consumed. It’ll subtle presence is not front and center but its absence will very much be felt.

While it’s a great pizza to have on pizza night, it works as an upscale date night in meal too. Or better yet, wow your guests and whip it for a dinner party. They will stare at you with awe as you walk in with this beauty; you will be the gourmand chef!

Caramelized Butternut Squash & Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Yield: 4* 1x

Scale

Ingredients

Butternut squash and onion topping:
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
Pizza:
12-inch whole wheat pizza crust, rolled out as thin as possible (I use white whole wheat)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 oz crumbled, mild goat cheese
2 oz sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Roast butternut squash
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss butternut squash and onions with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic and cinnamon. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, until onions are tender and squash is easily pierced with a fork.
Assemble pizza
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place pizza crust on parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and honey. brush onto pizza crust evenly.
Spoon the butternut squash and onion mixture onto the crust. dot with goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, spread cranberries evenly. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is cooked through and goat cheese is slightly melted.
Let cool and cut into squares.

Notes

*Yields 4 three piece servings

Curried Autumn Beef Stew

November 2, 2015 1 Comment

Ask anyone who knows me well and they’ll tell you my favorite season is Autumn. Slightly crisp days turn into cool evenings and come dinnertime, all I want is a nice, rich bowl of stew. Not just any stew. I want a go-down-and warm-my-belly kind of stew. Rich with texture, full of seasonal vegetables, with a slightly spicy punch, you’ll be going back for seconds.

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