With marriage, it has become clear I was going about dating the wrong way.
"There I was," I said to Han, "making myself osgepizt, when I should have been cooking."
"How about cooking while osgepizt?" Han cheerfully replied.
The first time I cooked for Han was an hour after our engagement, when we both needed nourishment for the l'chaim and I didn't want to eat out. I waited too late.
Sigh.
Anywho, my usual method for honing in on a recipe is to search, gather a few, then average out the ingredients and compare the methods for preparation. While tweakage is usually necessary, Han blessed my maiden attempt at shakshuka (he always ordered that in milchig restaurants in our dating days), so I have been whipping it up the same way ever since.
"There I was," I said to Han, "making myself osgepizt, when I should have been cooking."
"How about cooking while osgepizt?" Han cheerfully replied.
The first time I cooked for Han was an hour after our engagement, when we both needed nourishment for the l'chaim and I didn't want to eat out. I waited too late.
Sigh.
Anywho, my usual method for honing in on a recipe is to search, gather a few, then average out the ingredients and compare the methods for preparation. While tweakage is usually necessary, Han blessed my maiden attempt at shakshuka (he always ordered that in milchig restaurants in our dating days), so I have been whipping it up the same way ever since.
If
I prepare the ingredients the night before—like measuring out the
spices and chopping up the vegetables—it takes little time to
assemble in the morning. Then I let it simmer while makeuping and
dressing, and turn it off before I leave.
Devoid of the eggs, it also freezes quite well. One batch comes out to 3 to 4 portions, and I divide them amongst containers to pop in the freezer so Han always has something healthful to munch on if I'm not around.
Shakshuka (or Matbucha)
1 onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 1 22 oz. Pomi)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
sprinkle of sugar
1. Sauté the onion until it's a nice consistency. Not dark, but not raw. You know what I mean?
2. Push the onions to the side, and add a little more oil to the pan. Wait a moment for it to heat, then add the spices and garlic, stirring. After a minute, shove spices on top of the onions, away from the heat.
3. In the cleared away area, add the chopped peppers. Cook for a few minutes, when they begin to release some of their juices.
4. Add the tomatoes. Stir well, bringing the onions back into the party. Cover until the tomatoes finally begin to bubble a little, then uncover. You want any excess juices to evaporate out.
5. Tomatoes burn quickly, so monitor the flame and stir every once in a while. It's pretty much ready when there isn't tons of liquid left.
6. For shakshuka, press divets into the concoction, and chuck an egg into each. Cover. 5 to 7 minutes for the egg to cook through, I think.
7. For matbucha, lower the flame and let it simmer for another half hour. Babysit.
Shakshuka (or Matbucha)
1 onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 1 22 oz. Pomi)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
sprinkle of sugar
1. Sauté the onion until it's a nice consistency. Not dark, but not raw. You know what I mean?
2. Push the onions to the side, and add a little more oil to the pan. Wait a moment for it to heat, then add the spices and garlic, stirring. After a minute, shove spices on top of the onions, away from the heat.
3. In the cleared away area, add the chopped peppers. Cook for a few minutes, when they begin to release some of their juices.
4. Add the tomatoes. Stir well, bringing the onions back into the party. Cover until the tomatoes finally begin to bubble a little, then uncover. You want any excess juices to evaporate out.
5. Tomatoes burn quickly, so monitor the flame and stir every once in a while. It's pretty much ready when there isn't tons of liquid left.
6. For shakshuka, press divets into the concoction, and chuck an egg into each. Cover. 5 to 7 minutes for the egg to cook through, I think.
7. For matbucha, lower the flame and let it simmer for another half hour. Babysit.
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