Eggs Two Ways

Happy 2012!  A new year, another 365 days of cooking, contemplating that next meal, trying new recipes, and, hopefully, traveling abroad to experience unique eats.  2011 took me to Sicily and Rome, where will this year find me?

I'm starting the new year on a spicy note.  Chreime is a fiery, North African (Morrocan) Jewish fish stew.  You might be thinking, 'why am I mentioning fish stew, when I have not prepared such a dish?'  Let me explain.  I prepared this stew last weekend (with sockeye salmon and rockfish) and could not get enough of this spicy red sauce.  I loved the sauce so much, I immediately started thinking about other variations and ingredients that would pair nicely with it.  The sauce is made with a hefty dose of garlic (an entire head), chiles, tomato paste, lemon, cilantro, and various spices, to include caraway, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and cinnamon. 

Decided to take this sauce in a different direction; think a hearty breakfast/brunch of fried egg with sauteed red and yellow pepper and red onions -- in lieu of fish.  Eggs baked in tomato sauce is by no means a new concept, though this particular sauce differs in that the tomatoes are but a small component.  The chiles and spice lend a pronounced hand, and offer a great complexity compared to your typical red sauce.

On a different note, wanted to start the new year with a healthy dose of my favorite wild greens, dandelions.  Yes, the same pesky weeds that are prone to overtake your yard.  They are slightly bitter; a bit of an acquired taste, which I happen to enjoy.  If you can't stomach the bitterness, mix or substitute dandelions with other leafy greens such as chard, spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, etc.  I simply sauteed the greens with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Topped with an egg and finished with thick Greek yogurt, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt, and a sprinkling of sumac -- a Middle Eastern spice, deep-red in color, that adds a fruity-tart flavor (often substituted for lemon, but not as strong) -- this dish will keep you smiling throughout 2012.  

Fiery Red Sauce
Adapted from January 2012 Bon Appetit

2 tablespoon caraway seeds 
1/2 cup olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

12 garlic cloves (~ 1 head), coarsely chopped 

1 1/2 to 2 serrano chile (with seeds), chopped 

4 teaspoons hot smoked paprika

3 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Note: This is a fiery sauce. You can use the lower ranges on the serrano and cayenne chile for a milder sauce.

Toast the caraway seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly darker in color and aromatic, about 2 minutes.  Remove from skillet and let cool. Finely grind in a spice mill; set aside. 

Pound the garlic, serrano chile, paprika, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, caraway, and 1/4 cup of olive in oil in a mortar and pestle (or blend in a food processor).

Heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic paste.  Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds (do not burn).  Add the tomato paste and 1 cup of water to the skillet and bring to a simmer; continue simmering for 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice and sugar.  Stir in the chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.  Of note, this sauce can be made in advance.

Found this bowl in Chicago a few weekends back at a great little shop in the Wicker Park neighborhood. So cute!

Eggs in Fiery Red Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Fiery red sauce (recipe above)
2 to 3 eggs
Cilantro, chopped for garnish
Coarse sea salt
Smoked hot paprika

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions, and saute, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the red and yellow peppers, and continue to saute, until the peppers are very tender and begin to brown, an additional 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a large skillet or 2 individual skillets, ladle the fiery red sauce in the bottom, so that it completely covers the bottom.  Add the onions and peppers (divided if using individual skillets) and simmer over medium heat until warmed through.  Reduce the heat to low. Make a little hole for the eggs and crack the eggs into the skillet.  Cover and cook over very low heat, about 8 to 10 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro, smoked hop paprika, and a little coarse sea salt.

 

Dandelion Greens, Fried Egg, and Yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bunch dandelion green leaves, chopped

Squeeze of lemon juice

Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 to 3 eggs

Greek yogurt
Sumac (optional)
Coarse sea salt

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.  Sauté the garlic until tender (but not browned), remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

Raise the heat to medium and add the dandelion greens (and more oil, if needed).  When all of the greens are in the skillet, add a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons water and the reserved garlic and stir to incorporate.  Make a little hole for the eggs, and crack them directly into the skillet.  Cover and cook over very low heat, about 8 to 10 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

Add a spoonful of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, and sprinkle with sumac, and sea salt.