Posts Tagged ‘eggs’

  1. Bean Stew, Sunny Side Up

    June 6, 2011 by justgathering

    I ate something pretty exciting last night.

    The inspiration came from Sofia and her boyfriend BT. Daniel and I were at Sofia’s birthday party on Saturday night, and BT told us about this amazing shakshuka they’d made. We were picturing it as tomato stew with sunny side up eggs on top, and that sounded amazing. When we searched for a recipe, though, all we could find was a dish that seemed like tomatoes with scrambled eggs mixed in. That didn’t sound as appealing. So we decided to get a little creative.

    We started with this vibrant bean mix. There are the normal players in there: kidneys, pinto, black beans, black eyed peas. But there were some nice stripey heirloom beans as well. We stewed these all day in the slow cooker with a large can of tomatoes, ten cloves of chopped garlic, and a tablespoon of dried oregano.

    The apartment smelled like pizza. Once this was done, we filled up our cast iron pan with the stew and stuck it in the oven to get really hot and bubbly.

    When it was nice and hot, we cracked a few eggs into it and put it under the broiler for a hot second.

    I had made a loaf of bread earlier in the day, which was pretty tasty but unfortunately didn’t rise. I think my yeast is dead. So it was a short and dense loaf, but it was still good to dip in the stew and eggs.

    A well-rounded meal.

    And the beans make for delicious leftovers too.

    The beans were cooking most of the day, but in terms of hands-on cooking, this dish was one of the least labor intensive I’ve made in quite some time. Definitely a weeknight/overnight winner. So, not shakshuka, but more than satisfying in its own way.

    This morning’s run was awesome. I wasn’t planning on doing a pre-work run, but I woke up early so I just laced up my shoes and headed out for three miles around the reservoir.

    It was gorgeous. And the other upside to moving my run to the morning was that post-work, I got to spend some more quality time with this little lady in the park.

    Tomorrow will be my third running class. A little nervous that our coach is going to up the mileage now that we’re all comfortable with the way class is run. Wish me luck…

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  2. Just Made: Maple Cinnamon Challah

    December 17, 2010 by justgathering

    This challah has two twists: the traditional braid, plus a bit of complex sweetness thrown in. I’m enjoying a piece of it as I type, and take it from me: it’s good. Or don’t take it from me and make it yourself, because it’s simpler than you think.

    This is a variation on Mark Bittman’s challah theme. I couldn’t resist replacing the sugar with maple syrup, though, because I’ve still got all this great maple syrup from my last trip to Vermont. And in my world, wherever maple goes, cinnamon or walnuts follow. I bet this bread would be delicious with walnuts. Try it and let me know.

    The braiding part made me happy. First I shaped six balls of dough.

    Look at those cuties.

    Then I got to braid like a little girl at summer camp, to my heart’s delight. This activity sort of had me wanting to go buy some lanyard-making supplies. Good thing I work with children, because I actually have an excuse to do so.

    The secret to the shine? Egg wash.

    Ready for the recipe?

    Cinnamon Maple Challah

    Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything

    Makes two medium-sized loaves or one large one

    5 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup or so more for the kneading process

    2 tsp salt

    2 tsp dry active yeast

    2 tsp cinnamon

    1 T maple syrup

    3 eggs, plus one egg yolk for the egg wash

    1 1/3 cup of warm (70 degrees F) water

    canola oil to grease the bowl and cookie sheet

    • Put half the flour along with the salt, yeast, and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix with a spoon. Add the water and continue to mix, then start to knead by hand. Every few minutes, add more of the flour until all 5 cups are added.
    • Add the maple syrup and the eggs, and continue to knead by hand. If the dough is too wet, add a little extra flour until it’s no longer sticky and forms a ball.
    • Leave the ball of dough in a greased bowl, covered with a damp towel, for an hour and a half or until it’s doubled in size.
    • Separate the dough into six smaller balls (or three if you’re just making one large loaf). Place these on a floured surface and leave covered for another fifteen minutes.
    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the balls of dough into strands about one inch thick. Place three strands at a time on a greased cookie sheet and braid together as you would hair or string.
    • Beat one egg yolk with one teaspoon of water and brush this mixture over the braided loaves. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

    I made this challah this morning and did my 4 mile speed run while the dough was rising. Two heavenly slices with almond butter were my post-run snack. Perfect.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  3. The Best Egg

    September 16, 2010 by justgathering

    On Sunday, I ate the best egg. Ever.

    Though it was pouring rain, my friend Julia and I biked over to Brooklyn’s Farm City Fair to experience some music, art, and (most importantly) food of Brooklyn. The event was held in the Invisible Dog Art Center, an awesome art space in a converted factory building. (They hold all sorts of art classes there, and I think I might have to go back and try a few out!)

    Flying wheatgrass people that change as they grow? Yes. Inside, there were tons of food and craft vendors, including an artist who was making french bread and goat cheese ice cream as a geographical-culinary “art project” and a guy who was selling a “garden in a bag,” which was essentially a sprouting kit.

    Outside, the street was filled with even more amazing food and a pretty stellar marching band called the Asphalt Orchestra. Thankfully, the rain cleared up for most of the day, and the atmosphere was festive in a particularly autumnal way.

    Almost every vendor was giving out samples, and nearly everything I tasted was fantastic. I have to say, though, that my favorite bite to eat came from Wylie Dufresne of wd~50 (and Top Chef) fame. He was serving up a slow-poached egg in a green tomato consume with smashed tomatoes, pickled carrots, and basil.

    Simple, yet amazing. Probably the best egg I’ve ever had.

    Speaking of eggs, I have plans to make mayonnaise later today… with a twist. If it works out, I’ll be posting pictures and recipe in a bit!

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,,,, | 1 Comment