Penne with Basil and Heirloom Tomatoes

In trying to refine and improve my postings, I am going to start posting the ingredients and prep on top, which should make the recipes a little more user friendly.  I'm also going to continue using my better camera and actually editing the photos, which should result in better depictions of the finished product:

This recipe features a lot of farm share ingredients: tomatoes, basil, onions, and garlic.  Here is what you'll need for this recipe:

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, slivered
• 2-3 small onions, or 1 large onion, slivered
• 4-6 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped (i used 4 small to medium sized, with about 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes)
• 1 cup green olives, rinsed and coursely chopped
• 1/3 cup grated parm
• 2-4 mild italian chicken sausages, cooked (optional - omit to make this vegetarian)
• 1 pound whole wheat penne, just slightly undercooked
• 1/2 cup of fresh basil, torn

Get everything prepared and ready to go before you start cooking - it will make the process go much smoother. Think of the 7 P's: proper prep prevents piss-poor performance.  That being said, you can cook the pasta as you make the sauce (just get the water boiling as you chop everything up).

The farm share tomatoes are gorgeous - the assorted cherry tomatoes are very, very sweet and I think the orange ones have a ton of flavor with less acidity than their red brethren.  Anyway, heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and add the garlic.  Cook for about 10 seconds on medium high, then add the onion.  Add about 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.

Cook until onions are softened, but not mushy.  Then add the olives and the sausage (if using).

Saute until sausage is warmed, then add the tomatoes.

Cook until the tomatoes release some liquid, and a little of that liquid cooks off.  Turn the heat down to medium low, and add the penne and stir to combine (you use a large pan/skillet for this).

Add the parm and stir it in - this will thicken the sauce and help the tomato flavor stick to the noodles.  Finally, turn off the heat and stir in the basil.  It should wilt down a good amount.  Taste, and adjust seasoning.  I held back on the salt because of the salt in the sausage and olives, but it was rather flat initially.  A little more salt and pepper really made the flavors of the tomatoes and basil jump out.  I really wouldn't change anything about this, I'm very happy with how it turned out.  I think it would be just as good w/out the sausage.  This would be great with an earthy pinot noir or a chianti.  Enjoy!

Shakshuka!!!

A dish I enjoyed making even before my trip to Israel is shakshuka, which is eggs poached in tomato sauce.  Terrible renditions of this showed up at kibbutz dining halls for breakfast pretty often while I was there, with the eggs cooked solid over flavorless tomato sauce.  As bad as this sounds, when it is well made, there aren't any egg dishes I like more.

The one great rendition I had was at Dr. Shakshuka, an institution in Jaffa - the port city adjacent to Tel Aviv.  We had about 90 minutes of free time, and while it might have been well spent wandering the shuk looking for souveniers, I spent it having one of the best meals I've ever had with some great people.  We ordered the special, which we thought was going to be shakshuka and some salads.  This was the case for the first 45 minutes or so; perfectly cooked, runny eggs sitting on top of flavorful tomato sauce with big chunks of fresh tomato served with huge loaves of crusty bread, followed half a dozen different fresh salads.  One had a great lemon dressing over mixed greens, another was like a slightly less spicy kimchi.  I wish I had the right lens on my camera to have taken some good photos.

Anyway, the eggs and salads were followed by like 5 different meat and fish courses, which we weren't exactly expecting.  They were all very different, and all very delicious.  There was a beef stuffed cabbage dish, a delicately poached (I think) piece of white fish over a spicy red sauce, and what seemed kind of like a mixed grill with homemade merguez sausages.

Anyway, great shakshuka is attainable with basic pantry ingredients and it makes an excellent brunch, lunch, or dinner that is a nice departure from the norm.  It's also vegetarian, cheap, and easy to make.  I use a non-stick 12-inch skillet with a lid for this.

I really just follow this recipe exactly, so I'll go light on details. Basically, sautee onions (1 small chopped) and hot peppers (3 farm share - 2 jalepenos and 1 serrano) until softened, then add 1 tablespoon paprika and 1 teaspoon cumin.

Cook another couple minutes, until garlic is softened.  Open a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, and crush them a little with your hand as you add them to the pan.

Allow to cook down for about 20 minutes, then crack as many eggs as you would like in an even distribution over the tomato sauce.  Cover, and cook over medium for 4-5 minutes or until the whites are cooked.  Spoon sauce over edges of whites as they finish cooking.

While not super-traditional, or so I understand, top with a tablespoon or two of chopped parsley and about 1/4 cup of crumbled feta if so inclined.

Serve with warmed pita or crusty bread, and enjoy!