Using What You've Got

Sometimes there is stuff in your fridge that has been in there a while and you are tired of looking at it. You probably bought it on sale and didn't really have a plan for it, but now you are forced into using it because it is going to expire/spoil/start growing fuzz and you really hate wasting, especially when "times are tough."

That happened to me this week with eggs. Their time had come.

Now, we love eggs. We usually have them every Sunday morning (aren't I a wonderful wife?). But that is why when I need to use them for dinner, I have trouble. I happen to like "breakfast-for-dinner" but it isn't very exciting and sometimes it is not filling enough. I know what you're thinking- why not make a quiche? *Hello* we are trying to eat healthy here!

So I asked around and got a few ideas, but nothing I was really thrilled with. Andrew and I both love poached eggs, and during my dinner research, I came across an oddly named dish called: shakshuka. I love food that is fun to say! (see: Fricassee Fricassee Fricassee) Some sources credited this dish to the Arabs, and others said it is Israeli.

The traditional recipe is basically very chunky tomato sauce flavored with onion, garlic and paprika or another spice-one recipe called for cumin. Where do the eggs come in? you ask. Well, get this- you poach the eggs on TOP of the tomato sauce! I felt this was definitely worth trying, but thought I would give the recipe a Mediterranean spin. That, of course, justified the feta cheese (yay cheese!) and the garlic bread. I bought a large dense whole wheat loaf and cut it into wedges which were then spread with ICB (it's not butter) and sprinkled with garlic powder (so? sometimes I am lazy) and paprika. I didn't toast it too much, because I wanted the inside to stay soft for dipping.

It isn't the most photogenic dish, but I could not believe how tasty it was! I would have never thought to serve eggs in tomato sauce. When I was looking for eggy meal ideas, Greg had suggested a dish called "eggs in purgatory", which is actually a real thing (!). I thought it was just a cute name he made up for eggs in tomato sauce. I guess this dish is very much like that, but not as saucy because most of the liquid evaporates. This is also an easy cleanup meal because you do everything in one pot!

Mediterranean Shakshuka

• 5 eggs
• 2 14.5oz cans stewed tomatoes (I used the kind that had some other stuff in there- I think it was onion, garlic and celery)
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (you know, oregano, basil, etc, etc)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (if you have hot paprika or you don't like things too spicy, add a little at a time and taste it)
• salt & pepper to taste (taste it before you add the eggs)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese (yay cheese!)

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. (I found that using a large non-stick frying pan worked well for this recipe, but make sure you have something that has a cover- preferably a glass one)
2. Add one can stewed tomatoes with juice, and one can stewed tomatoes without juice. Break up tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
3. Add tomato paste, stir, and let mixture thicken until almost all liquid is gone.
4. Add Italian seasonings, paprika and salt.
5. Carefully crack each egg over tomato mixture.
6. Add feta cheese between eggs on top of tomato mixture and cover. (The idea is to get the cheese to melt while the eggs poach.)
7. Cook about 5-7 minutes, or until eggs are done enough for your taste. (I watched mine through the glass cover and took the pan off the heat when the eggs had just become coated over with white. The whites were juicy, and the yolk was still runny, just how I like it!)
8. Spoon tomato mixture and 2 eggs onto each plate and serve with pitas or garlic bread.