Spicy Eggs

Debu and I love this place in Manhattan! Its called Hummus and serves up (you guessed it!) hummus and the freshest pita bread. The menu has a total of 5 things on it, 3 of which are hummus with different toppings. And then there is Shakshuka, a heavenly blend of tomatoes, garlic, peppers and egg. Its piping hot, spicy and dunkable making it perfect food after a workout or while nursing a hangover.

The original version

Its a drive away, not a long one but a drive anyway, and there are days when I'm too lazy to look for the car keys, who I should mention, have a mind of their own and prefer hiding in tiny places to staying on a key hook. So I found an easier recipe in a cookbook I got recently. Its not perfect coz I hear the authentic version takes time to cook up and I need breakfast on the table like an hour ago! Its a hearty dish and a different take on a breakfast staple.

My version- bigger and badder. It can kick your version's ass to Russia!

Ingredients

1 shallot, sliced
2 garlic pods. peeled and chopped fine
1 tomato, diced
2 chili peppers
olive oil
basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the shallots in the olive oil lightly. Throw in the garlic pods and chili peppers and saute for another minute. Put in the diced tomatoes. and cook a little bit. Add salt, pepper and any dried or fresh herbs you have on hand. Add a little bit of water, just 1 teaspoon or so. Don't make it too watery. If the tomatoes give off enough liquid to cook the eggs, don't bother adding water. Let the mixture cook. Crack two eggs in bowl and slide them one by one into the skillet. Don't stir it. Sprinkle some salt and pepper onto the egg yolks. Scatter the basil leaves on top. At this point if you have an oven proof skillet, slide it into a pre-heated oven and cook till egg whites are firm. If you don't have an oven just cover with a lid and cook on a really low flame till the whites are set and the yolks are slightly runny. I didn't have pasteurized eggs this time so I cooked the eggs completely through. Serve hot in the skillet with some crusty bread.

Carbs are so pretty...sigh!

Serving suggestion: Serve with a glass of freshly brewed mint iced tea.

Veg soup from leftovers

I had plenty of leftovers this weekend and I didn't want to throw it all away so I put all my veggies in a pan with some store bought veg stock and lo-behold I had delicious soup! The soup was so good that my soup non-loving husband gulped down a couple of bowlfuls. That is the acid test of my cooking. I have a fussy eater on my hands so if he eats without grumbling it is fit enough to serve to royalty. I kept a record of all my leftovers so I can make that soup again.
Here goes,

1 large onion cut in half moons
1 large bell pepper cut in slivers
Canned roasted tomato (I had the garlic roasted tomatoes but you can always use the plain and add garlic later)
a handful of packet of babycorn or regular corn
some sliced mushrooms
some fresh basil
lemongrass paste
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2-3 whole peppercorns
3 cups vegetable stock
salt to taste

I had already roasted the onion and bell pepper with a little bit of olive oil, salt-pepper and half a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste for another dish. I'm a sucker for anything roasted. However, you can saute it in the pan with some olive oil anf fresh basil. Add the veggies, tomatoes, peppercorns, and stock. I thought homemade soups were pretty bland till I started using stock. Now I can't go back to water. You can use some stock cubes if you want or keep it basic with water instead of stock. Adding the stock gives it a flavor that only an entire day of slaving away would. Let the mixture boil and then add the chilli flakes and lemongrass paste. The lemongrass paste cuts the spice and gives soup a light, refreshing taste. Garnish with more torn up basil and cilantro leaves and serve. With a peice of some sort of crusty bread this makes a wonderfully light dinner or a good pre dinner snack.