Category Archives: main dishes

Eggs in Purgatory with Capers

Posted on June 16, 2017 by nina in the kitchen

Just in time for a grand and easy to make Fathers Day Breakfast!

Bring out your grandmothers cast iron!

Eggs in Purgatory is a spicy briney tomato sauce and a perfect complement to some mellow eggs. I discovered this recipe online from Karen Palmer at Food52.com

This dish is an Italian style Shakshuka which is a Middle Eastern food made with a salsa type tomato sauce. Eggs in Purgatory has chili flakes added to your taste for heat and capers to give a briney almost fishy flavor. It’s like adding anchovies to tomato sauce which wouldn’t be a bad addition to this sauce either!

Italian Puttanesca is a tomato sauce with added capers and anchovies for a briney flavor. Italian Arrabbiata is a spicy tomato sauce with added chili flakes. Eggs in Purgatory is a blend of both of these flavorful tomato sauces.

Add some toast with rhubarb jam to complete breakfast or brunch that combines the salty with the sweet. I like to sprinkle flaked sea salt over my rhubarb jam toast to add to the salty component.

2 tablespoons olive oil

A pinch or more hot pepper chili flakes

1/2 cup chopped onion or shallot

Kosher salt

Black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced with 1/2 teaspoon salt

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon capers and 1 tablespoon of the caper brine

1-2 anchovies, rinsed and patted dry and then minced, OPTIONAL

4 eggs

Shaved or grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
Heat an 8-10 inch cast iron pan over medium heat
Add the olive oil
Sauté the chili flakes and stir quickly with a spoon or spatula until fragrant, less than a minute.
Add the onion and sauté until translucent, turning down the heat as needed to prevent browning.
Add the garlic and sauté only a 1/2 minute while stirring. Do not brown or burn!
Add the tomato sauce, capers and brine. If you want to add the anchovies, do it now.
Simmer uncovered until thickened, simmering slowly. About 20-30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
With a large spoon place 4 indentations in the sauce. Place an egg in each cradle
Bake 9-10 minutes or less until the whites just turn white and still jiggle when shaken.
Serve with grated or shaved Romano or Parmesan cheese
You can sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro if you like
Toast up some crusty bread of your liking
Voila!

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Posted in main dishes and tagged arrabbiata sauce, baked eggs, breakfast, brunch, eggs, puttanesca sauce, shakshuka, spicy tomato sauce. Bookmark the permalink.

Buttermilk Or Sour Cream Waffles

Posted on May 29, 2017 by nina in the kitchen

These recipes are from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. They both are prepared the same way. Only a few of the ingredients are different.

My favorite way to eat Waffles is with butter and homemade maple syrup. But they’re also yummy with fruit jam, fruit syrup, or fresh fruit. I usually make the Buttermilk Waffles. We always keep buttermilk in our frig. It’s yummy to drink too!

Buttermilk reminds me of a drink we had in Istanbul called ayran. It was made with yogurt, water and salt. Served cold it’s refreshing! You can find it anywhere in Turkey and other Arab countries. The basic recipe is whisking together 2 cups Greek yogurt, 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Yum!

Buttermilk Waffles

In a medium bowl whisk together:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl beat together until thick and lemon colored with a hand mixer:

2 egg yolks

Add and beat in:

2 cups buttermilk

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine the 2 mixtures with a few quick strokes
In a small bowl beat until stiff:

2 egg whites

Fold egg whites into batter
Drop by large spoonfuls onto hot waffle iron
Use about 1/2 cup batter per waffle

Sour Cream Waffles

In a medium bowl whisk together:

3/4 cup flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

In a medium bowl beat until thick and lemony:

3 egg yolks

Add and combine:

2 cups sour cream

Combine the 2 mixtures together with a few quick strokes
In a small bowl beat until stiff:

3 egg whites

Fold egg whites into batter. With a large spoon add about 1/2 cup batter to a hot waffle iron to make 1 waffle

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Posted in main dishes and tagged arab yogurt drink, ayran, breakfast, brunch, buttermilk, istanbul, sour cream, waffles. Bookmark the permalink.

Cheese and Tomato Lasagna

Posted on March 25, 2017 by nina in the kitchen

This is a full of flavor lasagne that’s not glorpy or heavy! It’s similar to the light lasagne of Italy which is all about the pasta, not the thick sauce!

Look up the recipe at Cooks Illustrated or America’s Test Kitchen. These two links will both take you there. You do need a subscription to have access to their recipes. If you don’t have one, take advantage of their one month free offer! I love these sites! They are a great source for recipes, testing and product recommendation, and will always provide interesting background info!

Here are some photos I took while making this lasagne along with basic instructions:

Cheese Sauce

In a medium bowl whisk together

4 oz or 2 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese

8 oz or 1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cheese sauce:

Tomato Sauce

In a skillet heat 1/4 cup olive oil. Sauté 1 chopped onion. Add and sauté together until onions are softened:

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Add and cook about a minute:

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 or more anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry and minced (I use the entire can)

Sautéed onion and herbs:

To the onion add and simmer 20 minutes:

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

Tomato sauce nearing completion:

Lasagna

You will need:

14 curly type regular lasagna noodles, such as Barilla

8 oz or 2 cups fontina cheese, grated

1/8 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano

Use regular lasagne pasta, but don’t cook it! Instead soften them! Use the curly variety
Place 14 noodles in a 9×13 inch baking pan. Pour boiling water over the noodles to cover them
Use the tip of a sharp knife to keep the noodles separated

This is the pasta brand I used and the pasta soaking in boiling water:

When the pasta are bendable, place the container in the sink and run cold water over them. Drain or lift them out of the water and dry the pasta on towels

Pasta dryIng on kitchen towels:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the middle of the oven
Place 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan
Cut 2 noodles in half crosswise and set aside.
Layer 3 full noodles lengthwise over the sauce with one end up next to the short end of the pan.
Place a half noodle at the other end of the pan perpendicular
Spread half of cheese sauce over noodles
Sprinkle 1/2 cup grated fontina cheese over cheese sauce
Layer noodles next in the same manner but switch the half noodle to the other end of the pan
Spread 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce over the noodles
Sprinkle 1/2 cup fontina cheese over sauce
Place 3rd layer of noodles with 3 1/2 noodles, again switching the short noodle to the other end from the last time
Spread remaining cheese sauce and then 1/2 cup fontina
Layer 3 1/2 noodles and again switch their placement. This is to make the layers an even height
Spread the remaining sauce over the noodles.
Mix 1/2 cup fontina with 1/8 teaspoon cornstarch and sprinkle it on
Finally layer the 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano on top
Spray a sheet of foil with oil and place it oil side down on the lasagne
Bake at 375 for 35 minutes
Remove lasagne from oven
Increase temp to 500 and remove foil.
Return lasagne to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes until lightly browned
Remove from oven and let sit 20 minutes before serving
I have made this lasagne ahead and refrigerated it before baking. Bring it to room temperature before placing it in the oven

Cheese Sauce layered over first layer of pasta:

Fontina layered over tomato sauce:

Fontina layered over cheese sauce:

Final layer of the lasagna: Pecorino Romano!

Cover the lasagne with an oiled sheet of foil and bake at 375 degrees!

The final stage is to remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 500 for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Then let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Voila!

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Posted in main dishes and tagged barilla, lasagne. Bookmark the permalink.

No Sear Lamb or Beef and Chickpea Stew

Posted on March 9, 2017 by nina in the kitchen

This is an easy one pot stew for lamb or beef. I chose lamb and was not disappointed! Add the greens at the very end just before serving. Serve with an earthy flavored yogurt such as Organic Valley Grassmilk Plain Yogurt

This delish lamb stew recipe comes from the cookbook Taste of Persia by Naomi DuGuid. She was featured on Christopher Kimballs‘ MilkStreetRadio where she shared this recipe. You can find it at:

Milkstreetrecipes

Recipes.177milkstreet.com

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Posted in main dishes, soups, Soups and Stews and tagged chickpea, fahsa, lambstew, milkstreet, naomiduguid, tasteofpersia, yemeni. Bookmark the permalink.

Italian Meat Balls

Posted on December 12, 2016 by nina in the kitchen

This recipe is from an Italian-French cooking school called The Antoinette Pope School. It was in downtown Chicago and my mom took lessons there in the 1940’s. This recipe is straight from their cook book.

I always make a large quantity of these meatballs because they freeze well and everyone loves them. They’re great plain or with Italian tomato sauce.

Here is the mixture which needs to set for 30 minutes

These meatballs are ready to bake to 150 degrees F. Parchment paper is a better liner than foil for baking

3 pounds lean ground beef

1 tablespoon or more dried oregano

1 cup grated Italian Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

6 eggs, beaten with a fork

1 and 1/2 cups cool milk or water

1 and 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degree F
In a very large bowl combine ingredients in the order given, and with a large fork or spoon beat in each ingredient.
Now let the mixture stand for 30 minutes.
Form into 1 and 1/2 inch size balls
Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or foil. Parchment is best. Do not crowd the meatballs.
Bake 20-30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer.
Cool thoroughly before freezing.
Serve as is or simmer in an Italian tomato sauce.

Enjoy!

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Posted in main dishes and tagged antoinettepopeschool, antoinettepopeschoolcookbook, breadcrumbs, Italian, meatballs. Bookmark the permalink.

Quick Thai Spicy Coconut Shrimp

Posted on November 3, 2016 by nina in the kitchen

We’ve made this dish several times this year. It’s a New York Times recipe. I hope you love it too!

In a medium bowl combine:

2 tablespoons red curry paste

2-4 tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 cup sambal

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

2 pounds medium raw, deveined, shelled shrimp

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot.
Add

3 tablespoons light sesame oil

Heat just until smoking.
Add the shrimp mixture and sauté 2 minutes.
Add

1 cup scallions

2 cups steamed broccoli pieces

Cover and simmer for 3 minutes until heated through.
Stir in

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1-14 ounce can coconut milk

Simmer 3 minutes or until cooked through
Add

1 bunch cilantro, chopped coursely

Serve over brown rice

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Posted in main dishes, uncategorized and tagged brown rice, coconutmilk, fishsauce, sambal, sesameoil, shrimp, spicy, thai. Bookmark the permalink.

Paella on the Grill

Posted on June 26, 2016 by nina in the kitchen

Last night Dave made his best paella yet! This is a Cook’s Illustrated recipe for Paella on the Grill, found in the July/August 2016 issue or online at CooksIllustrated.com.

Paella is a Spanish rice dish with many variations. We enjoyed paella in Albufera, a town near Valencia in southern Spain. They are known for growing rice and making their paella with a dry caramelized crust of rice that is the most prized part of the dish! It’s called the socarrat. Traditional paella is made on the grill which provides a large cooking surface to develop the socarrat and a charcoal heat that gives the smokey flavor. The amount of shrimp, chicken and chorizo you see here is more generous than the traditional Valencia style. It’s all about the rice!

Notice the paella pan is thin, has impressions hammered on the bottom and is not covered with a non-stick surface.

Dave uses a 17 inch traditional paella pan we bought online. It does NOT have a Teflon-like coating. We coat it with oil after using to prevent rusting. He has a Weber charcoal grill with a gas starter.