Lady and Pups, Spicy Sambal Meatballs

Ask, and you shall receive! Well, I asked.

I have been needing new and exciting chicken recipes (I know, my life revolves around chicken recipes. Pretty boring, right?) and look what shows up in my "in box" this morning!  This wonderful recipe for Spicy Sambal Meatballs!!

This recipe comes from a wonderful blog that I follow called Lady and Pups. Her photos of the recipes she creates are stunning! I want to make very single recipe she posts.

This especially caught my eyes because, first of all the meatballs are made with chicken thighs. Second, she poaches eggs in the sauce. And third, the sauce is SPICY!! She also stuffs a crusty baguette with these meatballs and poached eggs. It looked amazing!!

Alas, I did not make subs but we still enjoyed the heck out of them. I had to adapt her recipe a little because she calls for long, Asian, red chili's, which I normally find everywhere but for the life of me could not find this time. I bet it's because this recipe went viral, and they sold out... just kidding! So I subbed in jalapeños. And the sambal sauce called for more fish sauce but I ran out when I used it for the meatballs. If you don't have fish sauce, you can sub all the soy sauce for fish sauce.

The one ingredient she says to try not to sub, is the Thai shrimp paste, so I went out specifically for it. It shouldn't be too hard to find.

Oh, and I also doubled the tomatoes because I was worried the sauce would be too spicy, and in fact was perfect because I think the jalapeños that I used were really hot!!

The next time I make this dish though, I'm definitely making subs.


Spicy Sambal Meatballs

(Original recipe from Lady and Pups)

Lemongrass Chicken Meatballs

5 skinless/boneless chicken thighs
4 stalks lemongrass, soft/white parts only
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons fish sauce or 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Flash freeze the chicken thigh for 2 hours or until firm. Cut into pieces and grind in a food processor until finely minced.
Trim off the tough ends on both sides of the lemongrass, then cut and mince as finely as you can, otherwise it would be like biting into pieces of wood.
Mix the ground chicken, finely minced lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger, mint, cilantro, fish sauce or soy sauce and black pepper.
Shape into balls and bake in oven until lightly browned. At this point you can make these ahead of time and refrigerate until the next day (thats what I did).

After they were baked

Spicy Pineapple Sambal Sauce

1/2 cup pineapple, fresh or canned
The zest and flesh of 1/2 orange
5 jalapeño peppers, sliced
4 small red chili
7 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Thai shrimp paste
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups canned peeled tomatoes

In a blender, puree the orange zest and juice, pineapple, jalapeños, red chili's, garlic, soy sauce, shrimp paste, vinegar, and brown sugar until smooth. Let it run a few minutes. Don't rinse the blender yet.

To Finish

4-6 eggs

To assemble dish:

In a large non stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the partially cooked meatballs until nicely browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Add the pineapple/ chili sauce and cook until the mixture is reduced by a 1/3. Puree the tomatoes in the same blender and add to the sauce along with the meatballs. Simmer until the sauce is reduced by 1/3 again.
Make little wells in the skillet to make room for the eggs. Carefully drop the eggs then cover completely and simmer until the whites set and egg yolks are runny. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.

m xo

Braised Chicken, Fennel and Tomatoes

Well, as you may have noticed, I haven't been posting much lately. You want to know why? BECAUSE MY HUSBAND IS ON A DIET!!! And I have to say, I'm not liking it much. Not only because he has lost quite a few pounds and I haven't, but also because I'm not cooking what I really want to cook. I've been making a lot chicken dishes. I'm getting sick of chicken! And the thing is, he would be totally fine with the same chicken dish over and over. He is a creature of habit, as you know from my blog...remember, he eats the same thing for breakfast, day after day. And now he eats the same thing for lunch, day after day. It's me that needs variety and I am constantly looking for new ways to make chicken, which I have to say, hasn't been that easy. There are only so many different recipes on Pinterest!

This time I decided to braise the chicken with fennel and tomatoes. Braising the keeps the breasts moist. Easy. Tasty. One pot meal. Doesn't get any better than this.

Braised Chicken, Fennel and Tomatoes 

2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, sliced
1 jalapeño, sliced, totally optional
1 tablespoon capers
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to pan. Let it brown on one side for about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over and add the fennel, tomatoes, green onions, jalapeño and capers. Pour the the stock over, cover and reduce the heat. Cook until the chicken is done, which should tale about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and sprinkle with parsley. Serve.

m xo

Cherry Tomato Crostata

You know, there was a time I was obsessed with Martha Stewart. I loved her and I wanted to be like her. I watched her shows and subscribed to her magazine. I only got rid of the magazines a few years ago, and that's only because my mother was cleaning out her basement and came upon them and didn't want to keep them any more. I don't blame her. I don't know when was the last time I looked through them. Probably 15 years ago.

Anyway, it was during this time in my twenties, that I decided I wanted to perfect the fruit pie. Crust and all. Especially the crust. You see, Martha was baking these beautiful pies that were made from scratch and used fruit that she grew herself on Turkey Hill in Conneticut. Go figure! So I was making and baking pies practically every week. And I think after a few months, I did perfect the pie...I also gained 20 pounds but whatever, I made beautiful pies.

So then I spent my thirties trying to lose the twenty pounds, which meant I stopped making pies. I still make a pie here and there but my crust is not nearly as perfect as it used to be. But I don't mind.

When I came upon this recipe for tomato pie, it called for a crust made from scratch. I debated whether to make it or use an already prepared crust from the frozen section in the grocery store. Ultimately the grocery store won. Martha would be very disappointed. Oh well.

I doubled this recipe because I had a lot of cherry tomatoes from my garden.

Cherry Tomato Crostata
makes one 9inch pie

1 prepared pie crust, thawed
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup basil, chopped
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence (optional)
5 1/2 cups grated provolone or fontina cheese
1/2 cup mayo

Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix the cheese, basil and mayo. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the pie shell. Top with the cherry tomatoes and press down. Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

m xo

Caprese Salad

My garden is on its last legs. Even though the tomato, pepper, celery and cucumber plants are still producing, the plants are starting to wither, even with all the watering. I always forget, year to year, how quickly summer goes. It's amazing!

We have been having tomatoes, every night, in many combinations, including this classic salad.

Caprese is a traditional Italian salad made with tomatoes and mozzarella that I'm sure you've had many times. It's a standard in every Italian restaurant. This time of year, of course is the best time to have this. I added cantaloup because, well, as I'm sure you know by now, I have a sweet tooth and I try to incorporate any sweetness, any way I can.

Real simple here. Tomatoes, preferably heirloom, fior di latte, cantaloup and basil. Doesn't get any better than this.

Caprese Salad

Tomatoes
Cantaloup
Fior di latte
Basil
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Layer the tomatoes, cantaloup, fior di latte and basil on a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

m xo

Farmers Market Bucatini

The month of August is the best time of year to prepare meals because Mother Nature has done all the work for us. I totally get inspired by what is at the market, especially the farmers market.

We recently went to the Hamptons for a few days and as we were leaving East Hampton to go back to the city, the street was lined with farmers markets and I stopped to pick up a few things.

What's nice thing about this quick sauce is that the time that it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, it's ready!

Farmers Market Bucatini

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cob of corn, kernels removed
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 quart cherry tomatoes
A big handful basil
1 small hot pepper, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2lb. bucatini pasta
Grated pecorino
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs, optional

Fill a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Salt the water and cook the bucatini pasta as directed on package or until al dente (which most of the time is less time than directed).
In the meantime, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the corn kernels, zucchini, tomatoes and hot pepper, if using. Salt and pepper the vegetables. Cook over medium/high heat for about 10 minutes or until the bucatini is cooked. Tear the basil and throw in the vegetables. Drain the pasta and mix with the corn mixture. At this point if you are serving the pasta with an egg, heat olive oil in a non stick pan until hot. Break the eggs, one at a time until the edges are crispy but the yolk is still a little runny. Serve on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with the pecorino. Yummy!

Stewed Green Beans

Boy!! Do we have a lot of green beans growing in our garden. It still amazes me every summer how well our garden does. It's just so hard to imagine when you plant in the spring, that you will actually have fresh vegetables in a few months.

We especially have a lot of green beans at this time and this is how I grew up eating them. Stewed, very lightly with a few tomatoes and some aromatics. Actually, we also use this method for zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli too. So easy and delicious.  You will definitely need some crusty bread to sop up all the wonderful juices from the tomatoes.

Stewed Green Beans

2 lbs. green beans, trimmed and cut in 2 inch pieces
1 lb. cherry tomatoes, ripe
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Handful basil leaves, torn
2 teaspoons salt
peperoncino, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil and more to drizzle over beans
1/2 cup water

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add the cherry tomatoes, salt, torn basil leaves and water. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes or until the cherry tomatoes have all burst. Add the green beans and cover with lid again for 12 minutes. At this point the green beans should be tender without being over cooked. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve.

m xo

Stuffed Tomatoes

This recipe came together easily enough. I was supposed to make stuffed portobello mushrooms for dinner but after seeing an iridologist earlier in the day for some minor health issues, she told me to eliminate mushrooms. So I had to come up with plan B. Stuffed tomatoes! Why? Because they were on my counter. And actually, they were really great because I used ground chicken and the tomatoes added a lot of juice. John really enjoyed them.

I essentially used my meatball recipe but subbed the chicken for the beef and because the iridologist also told me to eliminate bread, I subbed soaked oatmeal for breadcrumbs. It worked well for this. I would definitely do this for meatballs and tomato sauce too.

I had about a dozen medium sized tomatoes and I still had a little stuffing left over, which I made into a patty and grilled. It just depends on the size of your tomatoes. I'm going to say 12 for this recipe and if you have left over stuffing, grill it for lunch the next day.

Stuffed Tomatoes

12 medium sized tomatoes
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup oatmeal, soaked in milk for 20 minutes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped herbs (I used a combination of cilantro, mint and basil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
olive oil to drizzle over tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400F.
Slice off the tops of the tomatoes and with a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and some of the membranes. Sprinkle the inside with salt and turn upside down on paper towels.
In the meantime, in a bowl combine the ground chicken, soaked oatmeal, egg, parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Stuff the tomatoes to the top and place in a greased oven proof baking dish. Drizzle the tops of the tomatoes with more olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes until the tops are golden. Serve.

m xo

Pesto Alla Trapanese

I had a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends! We really lucked out because it was supposed to call for rain, pretty much both days. But on Saturday it only rained in the morning and on Sunday it started to rain late evening, just as our guests had all gotten in their cars. And we had just spent ALL afternoon, outside, eating wood burning oven pizza that my husband made. I really thought we had to cancel and reschedule another day, but John had faith all along that it wouldn't rain and my girlfriend Anna, put rosary beads outside just to make sure. Hahaha! See what the power of intention can do?

This recipe for pesto has been calling my name for a couple of months now. I always make the classic pesto with basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil. Especially this time of year when basil grows in my garden abundantly! I make a lot it and store it in the refrigerator or freezer. So nice in the middle of winter when all you have to do is boil pasta with some potatoes and green beans and you have Pasta alla Genovese. Mmm, mmm, good!

This pesto is a little different as it has almonds and tomatoes. The rest is pretty much the same. But can I tell you? The almonds make the sauce so creamy. Delicious! I ended up throwing it on everything. For lunch, I brushed some on merluzzo fillets and then I baked in the oven. So tasty. And then for dinner, I spiralled zucchini with my trusty vegetable spiral slicer, salted it to drain the water, wrung the zucchini with my hands and sautéed over high heat with a splash of olive oil. Then I tossed it with the pesto. A nice, light side dish.

 And of course, it's amazing on al dente pasta!

This makes enough for 1 generous cup of pesto but you can easily double it.

Pesto Alla Trapanese

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and cooled
A generous handful of basil, washed and dried
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup cherry tomates
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 peperoncino
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

In a food processor or blender, drop in the garlic and blend. Add the almonds and blend until all the nuts are ground. Add the basil, cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, peperoncino and salt and blend again. Scrape everything down and blend again to make sure everything gets blitzed. With the machine still running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream until it looks like a puree. You might have to add a little more oil. Make sure it's at room temperature when ready to serve or store in refrigerator for another time.

Enjoy!

m xo

Panzanella

It's summer time!!!! Woo too!!! Can you tell this is my favourite time of year? Hence my lack of postings. Sorry. I'm out and about. Lots to see! Lots to do! And lots to eat! Everything just tastes so much better, don't you think? I'm still cooking and baking but I just haven't had a chance to sit down and write. I'm still trying to balance this all out. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself for not keeping up with things. I guess I have to cut myself some slack. But I had to share this great summertime salad!

If things do get a little hectic and you want to throw something together quickly, I urge you to make this! Panzanella! Because you let the tomatoes sit in the vinaigrette for a few minutes, the ingredients just come together to make a flavourful tasting salad. You basically throw in your tomatoes, cucumbers and a simple vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add some day old, crusty bread that you have hanging around and serve. The lack of dairy makes it a great dish to bring to a picnic.

Panzanella

2 pounds of tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 English cucumbers, cut up
1 cup of artichokes (in water or oil), halved or quartered
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup basil leaves
Bread, baguette or ciabatta

For vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat to 400F. Place bread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, tear into pieces if bread is in bigger pieces and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes, red onions, kalamata olives and torn up basil.
To make the vinaigrette, in a mason jar, combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and dried oregano. Shake and pour over salad. Let mixture sit for at least 10 minutes. The longer it sits, the juicier the tomatoes will be. Add the bread and serve.

m xo

Roasted Tomato Soup

The thing is, we didn't grow up with tomato soup. We made soups with tomatoes, but not just tomato soup. It just looked and tasted like passata or tomato sauce to me. I used to think, how weird! Why not just add some orzo or tubetti pasta in there and complete the dish. It just didn't look like a meal.

And then as I got older and started trying roasted tomato soups, it tasted great and made sense to me, especially when served with grilled cheese sandwiches.Yum! Who doesn't like grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup! 

But I have to say, unless the tomatoes are roasted, the soup can still taste like tomato sauce to me, and that's why I always roast my tomatoes... Oooooh, I just thought of something as I'm typing away. Next time, I'm going to try grilling my tomatoes. What do think? Doesn't that sound good?

I used hot house tomatoes that I had sitting on my kitchen counter that I had to use. Tomatoes should never be stored in the refrigerator. It makes them mealy. I cut them in half and placed them cut side down on paper towels just to absorb some of the water that comes out, so when roasting them, they will have a more concentrated flavour. Place them on a baking tray, brush with a little olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and put them in the oven. You can even do this ahead of time because once that is done, it only takes 20-30 minutes to make the soup.

I didn't serve my soup with grilled cheese but I did make little croutons with some leftover bread that I had. They added a little "something, something" to the soup.

Roasted Tomato Soup

3 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut in half

olive oil

thyme 

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

3 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper

1/3 cup basil leaves

3 tablespoons cream, optional

Preheat oven to 400F.

Spread the tomato halves on a baking tray. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place a couple of sprigs of thyme on each tomato half. Roast for 1 hour, until the tomatoes are caramelized.

In the meantime, in a pot over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onions are soft. Add the chicken stock and the roasted tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Tear the basil leaves and add to the soup. Take off the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender. Stir in the cream if you are using. Serve with croutons or even better…a grilled cheese sandwich.

m xo

Baked Polenta

I have been craving polenta for a while now, but because John doesn't like polenta, I haven't really rushed to make to it, until today. I cheated a little and bought the prepared polenta in the tube-y thingy that you get in the grocery store. I have to say, that stuff is sooo convenient. It's pretty amazing. I just sliced it up, spooned some sauce over, sprinkled some cheese on it and popped it in the oven. I prepared my lunch and had it on the table in 30 minutes. How fabulous is that?

I made a salsa cruda (raw) instead of a cooked sauce. I wanted it to taste light. I didn't give you any amounts for this recipe because thats totally up to you and how many people you're feeding. I made the whole tube and it was enough for 2 people, but since it was only me, I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Lucky for me!

Baked Polenta with Salsa Cruda

Prepared polenta in a tube
Salsa cruda, recipe below
Shredded mozzarella
Olive oil
Butter, to grease baking dish

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a baking dish with butter. Slice the polenta into 1/2 inch rounds and layer in pan, overlapping a little. Spoon over the salsa cruda and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Salsa Cruda

Fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped
Garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix together and set aside.


m xo

Merluzzo al Forno

I never knew what this fish was called in English until I had to find a translation for this post. Hake or whiting, thats what I found on the world wide web. Not sure if that helps, but if you go to any fish monger, they will know what it is for sure.

Merluzzo is sooo good! It's a nice flakey, mild tasting fish. I'm not going to lie here, I buy it from my fish monger already clean and frozen. I hate cleaning fish. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever cleaned fish, except shrimp. That's easy.

So anyway, I took out the fish fillets a couple of hours before I wanted to cook them. They don't need that long to defrost.

Preheat oven to 375F.
Brush a baking dish with some olive oil.
Place the fillets in the pan and season with salt and pepper.
Add a sliced garlic clove.
Sprinkle with herbes de provence.
Dust with some ground almonds.
Add a splash of dry vermouth.
Top with a few cherry tomatoes.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
Bake for 15 minutes.

This was really tasty! You must try it.

m xo

Chicken Pozole Soup

I didn't get my Mexican fix the last time I went to NYC, so I decided to make a Mexican influenced dish at home for tonights dinner.

Pozole (also called hominy) are kernels of corn that have ben soaked in lime water, hulled and boiled so they become puffy. You can find canned pozole in most grocery stores nowadays. Traditionally they are used in a soup with pork but I decided to make a lighter version using roasted chicken.

I made this recipe up as I went along and it was pretty good except maybe next time I would add a little chili powder and definitely a jalapeño, for a some heat. It needed some zing and we like it a little spicy. And you definitely need a little squeeze of lime juice before serving, it adds some brightness to the soup. This soup is perfect on a chilly day.

Chicken Pozole Soup

2 chicken thighs, roasted and shredded
4 Roma tomatoes
1 yellow onion, halved
2 garlic cloves, skin on
4 cups chicken stock
1 can pozole, or 1-1 1/2cups
salt and pepper, to taste
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges

In a cast iron skillet, over high heat, place the tomatoes, onion and garlic and cook until there is a nice charr on them. This will give the soup a nice smokey flavour. Transfer the vegetables (take the skin off the garlic) to a blender and pour in the chicken stock. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. You might have to skim the top. Season with salt and pepper and add the cilantro and shredded chicken. Cook until the chicken is heated through. Serve in soup bowls and squeeze in some lime juice before serving.

m xo

Almost Salad Nicoise

I had it in my mind this morning that I wanted to make salad nicoise for lunch today. It must be this cold weather that we are experiencing and seems to be going on forever. I wanted to be transported to the south of France for a brief moment even though I've never been but can just imagine! Anything to get me through this winter.

I say this is an ALMOST salad nicoise because I didn't have the namesake of this dish, the nicoise olives.  I could have easily substituted kalamata olives I'm sure, but to be honest, I forgot. The salad was equally delicious without them. But please include them if you have!

Salad nicoise is essentially a composed salad made with green beans, potatoes, eggs and tuna tossed with a vinaigrette. You can either use canned tuna( I use Italian tuna in olive oil) or fresh grilled tuna which would be amazing!!

I left my  heart of romaine lettuce leaves whole because they looked so pretty, even if it was just me eating. Presentation is everything! Lol. But you can definitely tear them into bite size pieces. I used purple baby potatoes but any baby potato will do.

I think this makes a lovely lunch, especially with girlfriends and a bottle(or 2) of white wine.

Salad Nicoise

Vinaigrette
(this makes plenty of dressing, you will definitely have leftover)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, grated with a microplane or minced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk all ingredients together and set aside until you are ready to assemble the salad.

5-6 baby new potatoes
a handful of green beans, ends trimmed
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 hard boiled egg, peeled, halved or quartered
80g Italian tuna in olive oil
5-6 leaves of heart of romaine
1 tablespoon capers

Start by steaming or boiling your potatoes until tender. Set aside. Do the same with the green beans. You want the potatoes and the beans to be warm when you toss with the vinaigrette so they will absorb more flavour.
To assemble the salad, place the romaine leaves on a platter first and then arrange the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, tuna, egg and capers attractively on top. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.

bon appétit
m xo

Shakshuka

Shakshuka! What a fabulous word! I love saying it. Shakshuka!

I also love the word Schenectady…but I digress.

What is shakshuka, you ask?  Shakshuka is a dish of eggs baked in a tomato sauce.

Mexicans have their huevos rancheros. Italians have eggs in purgatory. North Africans have shakshuka.

This is a perfect brunch dish. Be sure to serve it with lots of crusty bread to sop up the flavourful sauce.

Now I have to be honest here. I didn't have feta so I subbed with queso fresco. It was just as fab!

Shakshuka

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups of crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
6 eggs
crumbled feta cheese
cilantro to garnish

Place a large pan over medium-high heat and toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Add the olive oil,

onion, garlic and chill flakes and cook until onion is soft. Add the cherry and crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Make a little well in the sauce and crack an egg in it. Continue with the remaining eggs. Sprinkle a little salt on each egg and cover the pan with lid. Cook on low heat 10-12 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle with some feta and cover again a couple minutes until the feta has melted. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

m xo

Marcella's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

As you may or may not have heard, Marcella Hazan, who first properly introduced Italian cooking to Americans, died last year. She was for Italian cooking what Julia Child was for French cooking. They both inspired many professional and amateur cooks, me being one of them.

I kind of came late to the party when it comes to this recipe. People have been praising it for years! One my clients used to and still does rave about a tomato sauce but I didn't know it was THIS tomato sauce. It's from "The Essentials Of Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan. So this past weekend I had the opportunity to make it.

The secret to this sauce is very simple: 1 onion and butter. That's it! No fancy ingredients. And you most likely have these in your pantry already.

Just put everything in a pot and simmer. The only word I can think of to describe this sauce is, lush. It tastes lush. It just melts in your mouth. Please give this tomato sauce a try.

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
(from Marcella Hazan's "The Essentials of Italian Cooking")



28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, halved
salt to taste


Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and keep simmering for 45 minutes. Stirring occasionally. I simmered mine for an hour and a half because I had the time. Season with salt. Serve with your choice of pasta

m xo



Tuna Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

I need rehab...from Costco! I'm there practically every other day. I can't help myself. I don't even know if I'm saving money. Probably not but I know I'll never run out of toilet paper...and tuna steaks! Hence this recipe. It's adapted from a recipe of Jamie Oliver's that I came across awhile ago. The only thing I would do different with this recipe is maybe soak the breadcrumbs in milk to give them a little moisture. I served these with steamed broccoli but of course they would be really good with any pasta.

Tomato Sauce

olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small red chili or chili flakes
crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper

For tomato sauce, saute onion, garlic and chili's in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Tuna Meatballs

15oz fresh tuna steaks
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
zest of a lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
handful parsley, chopped

In the meantime, make the tuna meatballs. Chop tuna steaks into half inch cubes. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and let the mixture sit for half an hour. Form into 2 inch balls. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs. This might have to be done in batches because you don't want to crowd the pan.  Place the tuna meatballs in the tomato sauce, simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

m xo

Braised Eggs with Chicken, Tahini and Sumac

The Jerusalem cookbook is one of many that I own by Yotam Ottolenghi, an Isreali, Italian, London based chef. I LOVE all his recipes that I have tried so far. Not only are they delicious, but crowd pleasing too. This recipe in particular seems complicated but I assure you it is not. Once you have all the ingredients in front of you, it comes together pretty quickly.
The original recipe is made with ground lamb but neither I or my husband like lamb so I subbed ground chicken. Next time I would use dark meat only or ground beef, as it was a little dry, but still great tasting!! I also didn't have preserved lemons so I used lemon zest.
Warning, this dish is spicy because of the harissa paste but the yogurt sauce really cools it down. If you don't like heat, either cut down on the paste or omit it.


Braised Eggs with Chicken, Tahini and Sumac
( adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
12 oz ground chicken
2 teaspoons sumac
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup toasted, unsalted pistachios, crushed
7 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 teaspoons harissa paste
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 large eggs
cilantro
salt & pepper

Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water

Saute onion and garlic in a little olive until soft and golden. Turn up heat and add the ground chicken until browned. Add sumac, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Turn off heat and add nuts, harissa, and lemon zest.
In the meantime, char the tomatoes either in a hot pan or under the broiler. Set aside.
Mix the ingredients for yogurt sauce with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Reheat meat and add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Make 4 small wells in the mix and break an egg in each well. Cover and cook the eggs over low heat for 3 minutes. Place the tomatoes on top and cover again for 5 minutes or until the whites are cooked.
Remove from heat and dot with yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro.

m xo