The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

Bring eggs to a boil.



Cover for 10 minutes.



Run under cold water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking.



Peel and enjoy.



How easy was that?   



Salt, pepper and chili sauce anyone?

 

Shakshuka

This is a Middle Eastern and North African dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. It is usually served in the skillet with soft bread to mop up the sauce.

3 large eggs
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped (any Bell pepper is okay)
1/2 onion,  chopped
14 ounce can of diced tomatoes (Hunt's is a good brand)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove of garlic, sliced
Spices: Cumin powder, ancho chili powder, sweet paprika, Cayenne pepper, salt and pepper as desired
1/4 cup olive oil

Once the skillet with the oil gets hot, add the tomato paste and stir. Keep stirring until the paste is "cooked" and the oil has turned a burnt red color.

Toast the cumin seed and black mustard seed in the hot oil and paste.

Add the pepper and onions and stir. Season with salt, pepper, and Cayenne. Stir until well combined. Add the garlic and stir some more.

Add the diced tomatoes. Lower the heat to a simmer. After about 10 minutes, add the paprika and stir well. If the mixture looks too thick, add a little water and stir until you have a slightly soupy sauce.

In a soup bowl, crack open an egg trying not to break the yolk. Slide the egg from the bowl into the skillet. Repeat for the other two eggs.

Cook until the egg whites are opaque, about another 10 minutes.

Serve with any kind of bread. Challah bread would work nicely.

This recipe is for one lonely guy with a big appetite. Double the recipe for two or three.

 

Dal - Red Lentil Stew

1 cup red lentils
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable stock
Cumin seed, as desired
Black mustard seed, as desired
Paprika, as desired
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Dal is an Indian dish. Simply, it's a lentil stew. The red lentils are likely available in your supermarket. If you are in an Indian market, they will be labeled Masoor Dal. Red lentils are actually a burnt orange color.

One of the keys to the recipe is to cook the red lentils like pasta - 8 to 10 minutes. Longer and you get mush.

Get the oil hot in a pot. Toast the cumin seed and mustard seed until fragrant.

Add the onions and carrots, stir and soften about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic.

Add the stock. Simmer uncovered long enough until the carrots are almost perfectly soft - about 10 minutes.

Add the lentils and stir. Add the tomatoes and stir. Simmer the lentils for 8 to 10 minutes.

If it looks like the stew is getting to thick, stir in some more stock. If the Dal looks like it is too soupy, you can do one of two things: One, let the lentils cook another couple of minutes. They will absorb the stock. Second option is simply to spoon off the excess liquid.

Garnish with cilantro, parsley or celery leaves.

For additional heat add a peeled and minced knob of ginger and a thinly sliced serrano chili.

Fried Shrimp and Grits with a Spicy Tomato Sauce

The Shrimp
1 package butterflied fried shrimp

For the Grits
3 cups water
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely ground corn meal like Indian Head stone ground yellow cornmeal - more or less

For the Sauce
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
Two tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
A pinch of sugar

Garnish
Lemon wedges
Mrs. Dash all-purpose salt substitute

Bake the shrimp to  package instructions.

While that is baking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed.

In a small pot, add the water, salt and butter. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat. While whisking constantly, sprinkle in the cornmeal a little at a time. Add cornmeal and whisk until the lumps disappear and the grits  thicken. Keep stirring to make sure the cornmeal is cooked. If it gets too thick, add a little water. From start to finish, it should take ten minutes or less. The consistency you are looking for is smooth and so that when it hits the plate, it spreads out. Season with fresh ground black pepper.

Since grits thicken while cooling off, they must be served hot.

Assemble
Spoon the grits in the center of the plate.

Spoon the sauce over the grits.

Add as many shrimp as you think you will like.

Garnish with lemon wedges and sprinkle the plate with Mrs. Dash all-purpose salt substitute.

In case you were wondering, Mrs. Dash is a spice mix like Adobo seasoning with parsley flakes as part of the mix. It's good on eggs too. 

Hamburger Wrap with Vinegar Chips

Make a burger. Slice it into strips.

Dot a flour tortilla with ketchup. Add lettuce, tomato and sliced pickles. Put salt and vinegar potato chips on top.



Roll up the good stuff in the tortilla and enjoy.

Diner Classic: Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce

4 thin-sliced chicken breast fillets
Your favorite salad veggies
Pita bread
Buttermilk marinade

Pound the fillets even thinner with a meat hammer. Have the chicken between sheets of plastic wrap or it gets messy.

Marinate the chicken for 3-4 hours.

The marinade:

Buttermilk
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Thyme
Hot sauce
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Season the buttermilk aggressively. Eyeball the amounts.

Pound the chicken breasts flat between two sheets of plastic wrap with  a meat hammer. No meat hammer? Rubber mallet, bottom of a small pot or if all else is unavailable, the side of your fist. Place the chicken in the marinade, cover with plastic and put in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours.

While that is marinating, make the tzatziki sauce. The recipe is here: 

http://lonelyguyscookbook.com/falafel-burgers-and-tomato-soup/

Cut up your favorite veggies. Season with salt and pepper.



Shake off the excess marinade and fry in a hot skillet (no oil) for two minutes on one side and 1-1/2 minutes on the other.

The choice here is a charred chicken or a juicy chicken that is slightly golden. I went for golden. I have had to many dry chicken gyros to want to replicate that experience.



Pile the veggies, chicken and tzatziki sauce on a pita. Fold and enjoy.

Diner Classic: Greek Omelette

2-3 large eggs, whisked smooth
Feta cheese, crumbled, as desired
Tomato, chopped as desired
Red onion, sliced, as desired
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Oregano
Kalamata olives, as desired
Pita bread for serving



Put a couple of tablespoons in a hot pan. Add the eggs, tomato, feta and onions. Lower the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Let the eggs set until the middle is starting to set. Fold in thirds. There will be two folds. You can just fold it in half too.



Cut up a pita. Maybe drizzle some oil on the pita. Put some olives on the plate. Sprinkle the omelette with oregano.