Recipes
Shakshuka
Prep time: 20 mins Cooking time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 red bell peppers & 2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked & chopped
2 Tbs parsley, chopped
2 Tbs cilantro, chopped, plus extra to garnish
5 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup water
8 eggs
Cooking Instructions
1. In a very large sauce pan, dry-roast cumin seeds on high heat for 2 mins.
2. Add oil & onions & saute for 5 mins. Add peppers, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and cilantro,
and continue cooking on high heat for 5-10 mins to get a nice color.
3. Add tomatoes, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat to low & cook for 15 mins.
During cooking, keep adding water (little by little) so that the mix has a pasta sauce consistency.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning. It should be potent and flavorful.
5. Remove bay leaves, then divide mixture among four deep cast iron pans (each large enough to make a generous individual portion) or one large pan. Place on medium heat to warm up, then make two gaps in tomato and pepper mixture inn each pan (or eight gaps in one large pan) and carefully break an egg into each gap.
6. Sprinkle with salt & cover pan(s) with lids. Cook on very gentle heat for 10 - 12 mins, or until eggs are just set.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro & serve.
Shrub Fruit Drinking Vinegar
Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 72 mins
Ingredients:
2 cups ripe fruit, of choice - berries or cactus fruit or guava or
peaches work great
1/2 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey, raw local
Cooking Instructions
1. Place fruit in a jar & smash fruit.
2. Cover with vinegar then add honey; this is approximately a 1:1 ratio.
3. Cover with lid & let sit at room temperature for 3 days.
Check at day 3.
If the fruit is fizzy to the taste with a slight effervescence, it is ready to use.
If it does not have these characteristics, continue to ferment for up to 7 days.
4. When the shrub is ready, strain it or leave as is & store in the refrigerator.
5. Place 2 tablespoons of shrub in a glass with ice. Cover with bubbly water or filtered water.
6. Enjoy.
Notes:
For variations, add fresh herbs or combinations of fruit. Try strawberry, lavender, watermelon, and/or basil. Before experimenting, however, try it a few times with the pure fruit. You may find it better to add herbs when you serve the beverage.
Cheesy White Bean-Tomato Bake
Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
1 cup dried white beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
1 2-inch strip kombu
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup reserved bean cooking liquid
black pepper
1/3 pound mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 1 1/3 cup)
Cooking Instructions
1. Drain the soaked beans & rinse. Add them to a medium pot with bay leaf, kombu, & enough fresh water or stock to cover them by about an inch.
2. Bring to boil & immediately reduce heat to a slow simmer. Let simmer about 30 mins to 1 hr or until cooked, but not mushy.
3. When done, collect, & reserve about 1/2 cup of bean cooking liquid & then drain,
4. Heat oven to 475 degrees.
5. In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic until it's lightly golden, about a 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste (be careful of splattering) & fry for 30 seconds, reducing the heat as needed to prevent the garlic from burning.
6. Add the beans, reserved bean cooking liquid, and generous pinches of salt & pepper & stir to combine.
7. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, then bake until the cheese has melted & browned in spots, 5 to 10 mins. If the top is not as toasted as you'd like, runtime skillet under the broiler for a minute or two.
8. Serve & enjoy.
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