Shakshuka

Shashouka means a 'mixture' in Arabic slang. Its a dish of poached eggs in a flavourful tomato sauce that originated somewhere in the middle east or north africa. Because egg is the star of this dish, it often features in breakfast menu. I find the dish very hearty, so its perfect for winter suppers. It is also a very community dish. It is usually served in the pan its made with some bread on the side. So you and your family need to just gather around the pan and dig in.

Never heard of it? It is also commonly referred to as eggs in purgatory. Buzzfeed even did a section on it!

Serves 4

1tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion
2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
1 can Tomato puree
1 Tomato finely chopped
2 medium Red Peppers chopped
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1tsp Cumin
1tbsp Harissa (optional)
1/2 cup Cheese (optional)
4 Eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Note: I roasted the peppers (see directions below) before adding them to this dish, but omit this step if its too much effort and you don't feel like it.

Roast Peppers: Place the peppers on a hot grill or oven stove flame. It will starting 'popping' so don't be alarm by the sound. Once blistered, put in a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it steam for 15-20mins. You can use them as they are or peel & deseed them to use.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. The pan should be large enough to hold the ingredients and shallow enough for the egg to not sink in. Add the garlic and onion and cook till its translucent. Add in the peppers, and cook for a minute. Now stir in the cumin, harissa and bay leaf. Add in the tomatoes & puree and let it simmer for 10-15mins. Stir occasionally. Discard the bay leaf and add in salt and pepper.

Now crack in the eggs. It helps to create a clearing or 'well' in the sauce and adding the eggs in it. You can now pop this in the oven to bake or cover the pan with a lid. I love the lid version as the whole egg poaches in the tomato sauce. Turn off the heat once the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny. I had some feta cheese from a food hamper someone gifted me. And I think it goes beautifully with this dish, but you can add in any cheese you have handy. Garnish with some coriander and dig in!

Tip: This dish is usually served with warm pita bread, but you can use any carb. I recently received a gourmet Mexican hamper, so I'm going to serve this dish with some exotic tortilla chips from it.
You can also go crazy with what you put in this dish. While I've made the veggie version today, you can add any meat or veggie combination. It is also an excellent dish to make with leftovers.

Almond & Chili Pepper Pesto

Ah pesto! What can it not do; toss it in pasta, marinate it with meat, add it to salad etc. The best part is how versatile and creative you can get with ingredients. According to me, as long as the core ingredients of olive oil, garlic and basil are present, it doesn't matter what you put in the blender to make 'pesto'.

So here is my version. I've basically used leftover basil from my previous recipe and whatever I could find in my fridge. I had these beautiful red peppers left over so my pesto has a real kick. Its not too spicy when you remove the seeds, but still, definitely not for the faint hearted.
Disclaimer: I'm using chilli peppers which is similar to capsicum, do not confuse them to actual red chillies.

2 cups Basil
1 cup Pepper
3/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Almonds
1/4 cup Cheese
3 cloves garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

The best part about pesto is how easy and quick it is to make. Just toss all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender. Blend till until its a fine mix. Drizzle in olive oil while the blender is mixing, until it forms a smooth paste.

Note: Using almonds completely changes the taste and texture of the pesto. Its a lot creamier, and there is a distinct nutty taste. Plus its a lot heavier, so cut down the generosity while spooning it over your pasta. The plus side is that this recipe also makes a fine sauce for noodles.
I also sprinkled the pesto with some lime to lighten it up.

How To Melt Chocolate

You can melt chocolate in a microwave or in a bain marie or water bath. My personal favourite is the microwave as its minimal effort, quicker, needs just one pan and is less messy. Here are the fundamentals:

• Chopped, uniform pieces of chocolate will ensure even melting.
• Water is kryptonite! Absolutely avoid any contact to water. Water will make the chocolate unworable so ensure that even your spatula and bowl are completely dry.
• Do not over heat or the chocolate will end up becoming grainy

In a Microwave:

The most critical part of using the microwave is choosing the right container. You want a bowl that is microwave safe and yet remains fairly cool or slightly warm to touch. If the bowl is too hot for you to handle after microwaving, chances are it is too hot for your chocolate to handle as well. 

It is also preferred to melt you chocolate on a lower power setting as you don't want to burn it. Another alternative is to heat the chocolate for short intervals, and stirring between each interval.

In a Double Boiler:

This is the more traditional way of cooking chocolate. The biggest plus of using this method is that you can see the chocolate progress so there is no risk of burning it. You want enough water to provide heat, but not so much that the bottom of the chocolate bowl touches the water.

Skinny Pasta with Homemade Pesto

All that baking does call for some healthy meals once in a while. And who doesn't like pasta? I think its one of the few dishes I am more than happy to chow down on even if it is completely vegetarian. That was actually one of the ways my mom got me to eat veggies growing up. So if you do find the odd cauliflower in your pasta when you visit home...don't say I didn't warn you!

Why is this pasta skinny? For the following reason:

• I've used dried whole wheat pasta. While this may be an improvement, pasta is still a complex carb, and a processed one at that. So I've cut down the portion of pasta and increased the portion of veggies/ meat used. 
• I also went easy on the pesto. I want it to lightly coat the pasta, not drench it and over power the flavour.
• I've used Olive oil, and very little of it. I'm using red meat which does release its own oils. Plus the pesto also calls for oil in good measure. I hate eating a dish where the oil is easily visible. Which is why I used the meat oil as a base.
• I used cheese sparingly. Now while you may argue that one must omit the cheese altogether, it is an important ingredient in any pasta. Unless you have rock solid will power, you will most definitely want some cheese.  

Now go make this pasta while I watch TV with a tub of ice cream :)

For the pesto recipe, check out this link.

200gms whole wheat pasta

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 cup mushrooms

1 cup meat of your choice cut into bite sized pieces. I've used some chicken and ham

Salt & pepper to taste
Cheese to garnish.

Cook pasta in boiling water and salt until al dente. Drain the water, but reserve a cupful. This water contains most of starch which will form the basis of the sauce. Add the pesto to the hot pasta and ladle in a spoonful of the drained water. Stir till the pesto coats all the pasta.

In a pan sautee the ham. Once the meat starts releasing its oils, add in the onion and garlic. Cook till onions are soft and translucent. Add in the chicken and sautee till cooked. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Combine with pasta in a serving dish and finish off with grated cheese.

Note: I haven't added veggies here as my pesto already has the goodness of spinach. However feel free to add any veggies you like.
Traditionally pasta is finished off with grated parmesan, but being in India this is an extremely expensive ingredient. Which is why I have used mild baby cheddar.