Zahav cookbook, Day 2: Shakshouka

** Leftover from March (before things got hectic!!)  **

The Zahav book says that Shakshouka is a simple North-African stew with poached eggs and tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices.  Lucky for us, a present came super early in the mail and we now own a 8" cast iron pan.  Perfect vessel for attempting shakshouka for two!

Came out awesome.  Even better with leftover baguette from farmer's market yesterday.

First try cooking Israeli food

Some time ago (not sure, maybe half a year, give or take), my brother told me that Zahav is a good Israeli restaurant in Philly.  The last time I went to the public library, I took my usual route and wandered by the cookbook section, and the Zahav cookbook stood out with it's colorful cover so I had to borrow it.  And then I spent a whole evening skimming through the book, marking the recipes that look not too intimidating (aka not too much work, or doesn't have too many ingredients) with post-it notes.  So of course, when I try something, I try a whole bunch of it at once, and three of the recipes all on Sunday was quite an ambitious undertaking (and ended up taking more time than anticipated, even though I had picked what I had thought were the not-too-complicated ones.

So here goes.  All three turned out very tasty, but I'll have to say the carrots are the winner for best taste per time spent cooking them.

Kale, walnut, apple, and sumac-onion tabbouleh:

Morroccan carrots (cumin, garlic, cilantro, lemon and orange juices):

Green beans, mushrooms, lentils with tahini and garlic:

And as with any other of my ambitious cooking projects, I made way too much food.  So we'll be eating these for a while...

It actually feels like fall (or at least not summer anymore)

I bet other parts of the US are already in full swing of fall and/or entering winter already, but we live in California.  I was wearing t-shirts up until a week or so ago in the 70+ deg sunny weather!  Now when I bike to work in the morning and come back in the evening, it's actually a bit chilly with a jacket on...

In honor of fall, I have been inspired to make tasty things in the oven (and stove).  No need to turn on the heater just yet :)

A friend had sent me the Smitten Kitchen cookbook a couple of years ago, but I haven't gotten really into it until now.  Many of her recipes are pretty easy on a weeknight!

Sunday night's dinner:
Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
recipe here: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/10/butternut-squash-and-caramelized-onion-galette/

Monday night's dinner:
Apple Cider Pork Chops (with sauteed Swiss Chard on the side)
recipe here: http://kitchensinkdiaries.blogspot.com/2014/11/pork-chops-with-cider-horseradish-glaze.html

Tuesday night's dinner:
Roasted Chicken with Kalamata Olives and Grapes (with roasted potatoes and sauteed kale on the side)
recipe here: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/11/smitten-kitchens-harvest-roast-chicken-with-grapes-olives-shallots.html 

Salad with peach, tomato, mozzarella, and farro with balsalmic vinagrette

The fresh fruit and vegetables at the farmer's market have been amazing lately.  So why not mix the best of it all together?

Toss some cherry tomatoes, summer peaches, salad mix, and mozzarella balls with farro and sliced almonds with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil vinagrette.

Eat and enjoy!  This tastes like the epitome of summer :)

Chile Verde (with pork)

I recently went to a Mexican restaurant around here for lunch.  Looking at the menu, I saw that they had Chile Verde and got super excited because the only time I've ever had it was a couple of years ago when a coworker made it and let me try a bite of her lunch.  It was amazing, and had a complex layer of flavors I didn't understand (because I haven't ever attempt to cook Mexican food).  AND IT WAS GREEN!

So I ordered the Chile Verde, daydreaming of the green sauce and tastiness of years before.  No such luck.  I mean, it was ok, but it was brown and not what I was hoping for.  So I made it a goal to attempt to make it!  And I think I got pretty darn close :)

Now I know what tomatillos are and that they are sticky and kind of weird to peel.  And having learned the hard way once, I'll always remember to wear gloves when cutting chili peppers!

Tomatillos before peeling:

After peeling:

Adapted from here: http://food52.com/recipes/21128-slow-cooked-carnitas-chili-verde 

Sauce:
1.5 lb tomatillos, peeled and rinsed
4 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/2 can Hatch chilies (I didn't have this, so I just left it out)
1 bunch cilantro

Make the sauce:
Put the tomatillos (you can cut them in half if you want, or leave them whole) and garlic onto a baking sheet and broil until slightly blackened (about 10 mins).  Let it cool down, and then put all the above ingredients into a food processor and blend until well mixed.

Chile:
3 lb pork shoulder
2 tbs oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used berbere because that's what I have)
1/4 t cloves
1-2 tsp oregano
2 cups chicken stock

Make the chile:
Cut the pork into 1" square pieces, salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a dutch oven to high and brown the pork in batches.  Remove the pork, lower the heat to medium, and add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until they are soft and translucent.  Put the pork back in, along with the tomatillo sauce (above) and all the other ingredients.  Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat so that it's just simmering.  Cover, and simmer for a couple of hours (2-3?) until the pork is tender.

Serve over rice!

I can't believe it's not pizza!

It's broccoli rabe!!  But it evokes the same tastiness of pizza (because it's mozzarella over a quick tomato sauce), but without the crust. 

A friend saw and sent this recipe over from the Lucky Peach:
http://luckypeach.com/recipes/broccoli-rabe-mozzarella-anchovy-spicy-tomato-sauce/

 

I did not have any anchovies, so I just went without, and no fresh mozzarella, so I used mozzarella sandwich squares!  Still resulted in brown cheese spots on the top, just like pizza!

I made it on a Friday evening after working late so I was pretty darn hungry.  It says 4 servings, so I started by putting 1/3 of it into my bowl, and then went back for another 1/3 because it was just as addicting as pizza, and finally decided to polish the whole thing off!

How I went to the baseball game (a couple of weeks ago)

So G's work goes to a Giants game at AT&T park once a year every summer, and they're allowed to bring a guest. While I normally do not enjoy sitting through baseball games (or other sporting events for that matter), the tickets come with $25 for dinner each.  I read about a $17 crab sandwich only available in AT&T park (Crazy Crab'z), so I had to go try it!

It's literally all crab with not that much mayo to hold it together, with a slice of tomato on buttered/grilled sourdough.  Kinda drippy from the oil, but definitely worth it for all that crab!

And we spent the remaining money on Ghiradelli mini chocolate squares.  What a good night!