Sugar Apple Unplugged

Dinner at Andy's

You may have noticed a distinct lack of activity recently here at Sugar Apple.  I haven’t been on vacation or anything exciting like that.  I’ve just been taking a little break from technology.  I can’t remember the last time I unplugged, went for days without turning on the computer.  It’s pretty refreshing and I highly recommend it.  I must admit my holiday away from blogging, Twitter, Facebook and email wasn’t entirely my idea.  Audrey’s computer died and she’s commandeered my laptop until I bite the bullet and buy her a new one.

I may not have been blogging much but I’ve sure been eating well.  Our good friend, Andy Mudie, fired up his wood-burning oven and roasted a leg of lamb.  He served the lamb with one of my favorite foods, cauliflower cheese, and the most beautiful baby carrots I’ve seen in ages.  That’s real baby carrots, not those little orange bullets sold in plastic bags that aren’t really baby carrots at all.

Andy's wood-burning oven in the jungle

And Bones finally got to try a real Israeli shakshuka.  He’s been dying to try the dish of eggs poached in tomato sauce ever since he saw a photo in a magazine (Saveur, I think).  This shakshuka was made by our friend Yael and I’ve already put it into rotation in my kitchen.  Yael also makes the best hummus on the island, which she serves sprinkled with a za’atar she brings back from visits to Israel.  Yael’s promised to hook me up next time she orders so one day soon I hope to have my own supply of za’atar, spice blends and seed mixes for salads.    

Yael's Shakshuka

Shakshuka

I don’t have Yael’s recipe but this is the version I made after tasting hers.  I think I can safely say the scotch bonnet peppers are not traditional but I love spicy tomato sauce and couldn’t resist adding a few.  Yael says the shakshuka restaurants in Israel serve this in little individual skillets with lots of brown bread for mopping up the eggy tomato sauce.  Yael and I both use one large skillet to serve a crowd and pass a big basket of baguette, rye or pita bread.  Audrey’s friend JoJo stayed for dinner and said our house smelled like Yael’s kitchen, so I must have done something right.

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 small green bell pepper, cored and sliced

1 small red bell pepper, cored and sliced

1-2 scotch bonnet peppers, minced (optional)

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

1 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

8 large eggs

Heat a small heavy skillet or saucepan over medium heat.  Add the cumin seeds to the pan and cook the seeds, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they darken slightly and become fragrant.  Don’t overcook the seeds or they’ll become bitter.  The best way to determine if they’re roasted to your liking is to taste one.  Remove the seeds from the pan as soon as they’re ready and set aside to use later.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet with a lid (you’ll want a lid when you’re cooking the eggs later).  Add the onion, bell peppers and optional hot pepper and cook over medium heat until they soften and the onions are translucent.  Add the garlic and reserved cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, breaking them up as you add them.  You can use a spoon to mash them up but I just squeeze them into the pan with my hands.  Messy, but effective, and I do like playing with my food.  Stir in the tomato paste, hot and sweet paprika, and the salt.  Bring the sauce to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, and cook (uncovered) until thickened, about an hour.

Add the eggs to the pan.  You can break them straight into the pan but I usually crack each egg into a small bowl first and then tip it into the pan.  Make sure the tomato sauce stays at a brisk simmer, adjust the heat if necessary.  Cover the pan and cook until the eggs are set to your preference.  I like my eggs when the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

Easter lunch at Steve and Yael's