India-style Shakshuka

We always have sleepover guests — my cousins — for New Year’s Eve. The next morning it’s always the same brunch: smoked fish, herrings, whitefish salad, bagels and coffee.

Perfect.

Except this year, for a variety of reasons, we have to consider less-salty meals.

I decided on a complete change. Something delicious, different and needs no extra salt because the seasonings are so bountiful and flavorful (the recipe says salt to taste, which can be zero).

I’ve made this for dinner and brunch. Works either way. Add a hunk of bread (naan if possible).

May become a new tradition.

Happy New Year 2020.

India-style Shakshuka

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

• 1 small habanero, serrano or other chili pepper, deseeded and chopped

• 1 large garlic clove, chopped

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

• 8 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• Salt to taste

• 4-6 large eggs

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and habanero peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened slightly. Add the garlic and ginger and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes, curry powder and salt to taste. Stir, cover the pan, turn the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are very soft and sauce-like. Crack the eggs into a small bowl one at a time then transfer each one next to the other over the vegetables. Cover the pan and cook for 4–5 minutes or until the eggs are set but yolks are still slightly runny. Sprinkle with mint and parsley. Serve each person an egg with some of the vegetables.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Curry Kosher (Chicken Wings, et al)

Back in the day, before so many modern kosher cookbooks hit the market (including my own Hip Kosher and The Modern Kosher Kitchen), anyone who was kosher and wanted to expand home cooking beyond the traditional family favorites would buy a cookbook and adapt recipes in accordance with kashrut.

Although it’s easier now to find contemporary kosher recipes, there is still a whole world of flavors, wonderful foods and good cookbooks out there that are too good to be missed. There’s still a reason to look beyond the obvious kosher cookbook market.

Recently I came across this book: Spice Spice Baby: 100 Recipes with Healing Spices for Your Family Table at my daughter’s house. The author, Kanchan Koya, is a Harvard-trained molecular biologist who blogs about the health benefits of spices at www.spicespicebaby.com and is also a chef-creator for www.Buzzfeedtasty.com.

I found the recipes in this book irresistible. Too good to be missed. They are interesting, intriguing and globally inspired. All include one or more of 15 spices that have health benefits (which she discusses in the book).

I made several of the dishes, changing what was needed for the kosher kitchen. The original recipe here included boneless chicken — I changed it to wings because my family likes them. The sauce contained yogurt, which I changed to coconut milk plus some lemon juice, to mimic the tart dairy taste. But the spices — unchanged. They are a fabulous tasting, intoxicatingly aromatic blend.

This dish was awesome. We gobbled it up, every morsel. The flavors are vibrant, satisfying, and perfect for autumn when the weather turns and there’s a chill in the air.

Check out Koya’s website. Lots of good stuff.

Btw, I was not paid for this post nor did I receive any book or benefit. I included a photo from the book showing the original recipe (photo credit to www.wayne-wong.com) so you can see how different it looks with the chicken wings.  

 

Curry Chicken Wings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

• 4 medium cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• pinch or two of cayenne pepper

• 1/2 cup coconut milk

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 12-15 chicken wing parts

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, optional

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper and stir the ingredients into a paste. Stir in the coconut milk and lemon juice. Add the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the water, cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with chopped coriander or parsley if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Kedgeree with Salmon

My cousin has all sorts of fabulous and interesting eating and serving utensils. She is the only American woman I know who has a set of kedgeree forks.

She and her husband, world-travelers that they are, pick up things here and there and once, while in Scotland, they happened into an antique store and saw the unusual piece in the second photo. 

Now, these two people are not dolts! They know a sardine fork from a herring fork. But they had no idea what this thing was.

The proprietor told them it was a kedgeree fork.

They didn't know what that was either, but learned that it is a Scottish/British dish, basically rice with fish (usually smoked haddock) and seasoned with curry. An old import from India (dating back to "the Raj") and now a standard item throughout the U.K.

Apparently, the original Indian dish (called khichri) was a hodgepodge of cumin-scented rice and lentils (sounds very much like Middle Eastern mujadarah), sometimes with vegetables mixed in. The British added fish and hard cooked eggs and that's the way it's served today. Mrs. Patmore made it for the Crawleys in Downton Abbey and served it to them on a silver, dome-covered tray for breakfast.

Recently I decided to make kedgeree. It was all because I had a lot of salmon leftover from dinner. OK, I know salmon isn't exactly smoked haddock or even close in taste, but so what! I made Salmon Kedgeree. It made a terrific leftovers dinner and I ate the rest for breakfast the next two days (alas, no sterling silver serving utensils, no kedgeree forks and no person to serve it to me).

I've never tasted kedgeree so I have no idea if what I made was the way it's supposed to taste. All I can say is: it was absolutely delicious and I wish I had more and will make this again. 

Salmon Kedgeree

• 1 cup white rice
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 2-3 large eggs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (or 4 whole cardamom pods)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped (or 1 cup cut up cherry tomatoes)
• 2 cups cooked leftover salmon (or smoked haddock)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place the rice in a saucepan, cover with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for one minute, stir with a fork, turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 18 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Set the pan aside off heat. Cook the eggs and bay leaf in simmering water for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Peel, cut into quarters and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the curry powder, salt and cardamom, cover the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the pieces are golden. Add the tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the bay leaf from the rice and add the rice to the pan. Stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the salmon and lemon juice and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are hot. Spoon into a serving bowl. Place the quartered eggs on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Makes 4 servings