If You Make One Thing This Week...The Best Eggs Ever!

There are some days that you wake-up listless and simply don't want to do any thing. Do you know the feeling? Well, today was that day for me. As much as I wanted to crawl into a cupboard and hide, I knew that I had a family to feed! So, rather halfheartedly, I opened the fridge and took out some eggs. I then grabbed the last two pita that I had, and somehow I recalled seeing a picture of some fried tortilla chips. 'Yep, that's what I'll do' I thought. Slowly I started searching for other bits and pieces in the fridge and this recipe came together. As breakfast started to take shape my mood started to lighten, and I started to think that today is not such a bad day after all! After tasting the first morsel, I decided that today was a good day! A really good day. Not only did this meal fill me up, but it lifted my spirits totally! This was one of THE best egg meals that I have had in a while! Judging by the look on my family's faces, they thoroughly enjoyed it too! I was smitten with this, and I knew that I had so share this with you all, so I hurried to my laptop to type the recipe out, lest I forget!  

You will need:

2 pita breads, torn up into bite sized pieces

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup tomato Passata

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons Harissa paste

1/2 cup hummus

3 slices pastrami

A cup of  baby exotic  tomatoes, sliced

8-10 button mushrooms, sliced

1 avocado, sliced 

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas

4 eggs

1/2 cup Egyptian white cheese, or feta, crumbled 

A handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped 

A few chopped chives

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and fry the pita, in batches, till crisp. Drain on paper towels. Fry the pastrami in the same oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then tear into smaller pieces.Prepare the tomato sauce, by combining  a tablespoon of the olive oil, passata, garlic, harissa paste, and some salt in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for five minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Rinse and slice all the vegetables. Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer. Poach the eggs, one at a time for four  minutes,. Remove from water and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Meanwhile, place the pita crisps in a clean pan or casserole. Drizzle the tomato sauce over, then dollop on the hummus. Layer on the veggies, chickpeas, pastrami, and eggs.season to taste. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over.  Top with the cheese and some parsley and chives. Serve with a spritz of lemon juice... Bon Appetit

Serves four.

Crunchy Courgette And Seed Fritters....

Courgette, zucchini, baby marrow... Call them what you will. I have always known them as courgette, as that is what my Mom called them.

These courgette fritters could be served with an egg for breakfast. I served my fritters with a fried egg, labneh and a sprinkling of Cyprus black salt, or serve them just on their own with some tomato chilli jam as a delicious snack, Oh, and they're great with a dollop of cream cheese too!

For this recipe, you will need:

1 kg courgettes
1 onion, grated
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup cake flour (or all purpose)
1/2 cup corn meal (mielie meal)
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon poppyseeds
Freshly milled black pepper
Handful of  flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon baking powder

Trim the tops of the courgettes and grate coarsely. Place in a large bowl with the onions. Add the salt, and set aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all the remaining ingredients.
Wrap the courgette in a piece of muslin, and wring out very, very thoroughly. You'll get about 2 cups of liquid out! Discard this liquid.
Add the courgette to the other ingredients and mix well. Adjust and add more salt if needed.
Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil over medium heat. (about 1/2 cm). Place dollops of the courgette mixture in the pan. Cook until golden brown, then flip over and cook the other side. Remove to a plate lined with  paper towels to drain for a minute. Serve at once.

If You Make One Thing This Week...Georgian Khachapuri...

The first time that I heard about Khachapuri (also called Hachapuri) was from Nigella Lawson's beautiful book 'Feast'. I bought this book way back in 2004/5, not long after it was released. The chapter titled 'A Georgian Feast' totally mesmerised me. I searched for more information on Georgian cuisine, but came up with very little.

One of the first recipes that I tried from that chapter was 'Nana's Hachapuri'. One bite of this delicious bread and I was greedy for more... more information about this beautiful cuisine. A few years later, on an overseas trip, I read about a Georgian restaurant in a local magazine and immediately made plans to visit. One of the first things that we ordered was Khachapuri, and I was not disappointed. The Khachapuri that I had there, was quite different to the one in Nigella's 'Feast', but it was really, really good.

Back home, I set about experimenting and this is what I eventually came up with, with some help from the internet of course.

This recipe is the perfect Sunday brunch meal if you add the eggs.

4 cups strong bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 packet instant yeast (7 grams)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
enough warm water to make a soft dough

I simply place all the ingredients, minus the water, in the bowl of my food processor, and pulse to combine. Add the water, (about 2 cups) and mix until a soft dough is formed. Remove dough from the bowl, and knead for a few minutes, until it is smooth. Place in an oiled container, cover, and leave in a warm place to rise until it is doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the filling. For this you will need:
200 grams mozzarella cheese, grated
200 grams feta cheese,crumbled
50 grams ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten

Combine all the above and mix well.
Note: I use an Egyptian brand cheese that is much creamier than Greek feta, but you can substitute with feta if that is not available.

You will also need:
Eggs, optional
Olive oil
Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Turkish hot pepper flakes, optional

About 20 minutes before you are ready  to bake, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 200 degrees C. Knead your dough briefly, and divide into 7-8 small balls. Roll each ball into an oval shape, about 1/4 inch thick.Turn the sides up and pinch the edges closed to form a pointed oval shape.Divide your filling between the oval loaves, and spread out evenly. Place on the pizza stone and bake until puffy, but not quite browned yet. If you are adding eggs, make a slight indent in the cheese and  break 1 or 2 eggs into each indent. Return to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese is blistered and the eggs are just set.
When ready, remove from the oven and brush with some olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and some Turkish hot pepper if desired. Serve at once.

Note that this is quite a large recipe, but we love having leftovers so I usually make the full recipe. You can easily halve the recipe if desired.

A Mexican Brunch...

 Lazy Sundays are ideal for brunches, but who wants to spend the morning slaving in the kitchen? The recipe that follows may not be minimal effort, but you certainly wont be spending your precious morning labouring by the stove!
Huevos rancheros is a traditional Mexican breakfast dish that is totally divine! This recipe is a little bit different as it is baked in a muffin tin. Do yourself a favour and try it! I promise you wont regret...

Ingredients
6 flour tortillas
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 small red onion
1 small white onion
150g sujuk, chopped
1 1/2 cans of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeño chilli,seeded
1-2 roasted red pepper (from a tin or jar)
1 can chopped tomatoes
6 eggs
cheddar cheese, for sprinkling over
feta cheese, for sprinkling over
Coriander and spring onions, coarsely chopped
creme fraiche, to serve
guacamole, to serve

Method
1. Preheat an oven to gas mark 6/200C/400F. Grease a large 6 hole muffin tin with some olive oil.

2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a couple of minutes until softened.  Add the sujuk and cook until starting to crisp.. Add the beans, chilli and capsicum, season with salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is slightly reduced.

3. Divide the mixture among the tortilla cups, making an indent in the centre of each.

4. Break the eggs into the cups and bake for about 20 minutes or until the eggs are just set.

5. Sprinkle the cheese over and place in the oven for a few minutes, until melted.

6.Top with some coriander and spring onions.

7.  Serve hot, with creme fraiche and guacamole.

Serves 6

Note: Sujuk is a Turkish dried sausage which is available from Turkish butchers and deli's. If you can't get hold of any, feel free to replace it with you favourite sausage

Bon Appetit!