Smitten . . .

I've started to check out some other cooking blogs. There are a lot out there! A friend sent me to smittenkitchen.com. So far, it's great. I love the nice photos and the wide variety of recipes. Today I made my first recipe from the site. And it was definitely going out on a limb. It is an Israeli dish called shakshuka, which is (I don't know if this is a translation or just an English description!) Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce.

I have to admit I was a little nervous, especially as the recipe called for 3 jalapenos (although I halved the recipe as I assumed my kids wouldn't eat it!). But, I actually didn't taste much heat at all. The sauce was mildly spicy, but a very different flavor than I have tasted before. We also had it with homemade Naan bread (an Indian specialty). It all ended up being very tasty! I love it when experiments turn out . . .

If you want to be brave and try it, go check out http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/shakshuka

Here's the recipe for homemade Naan (modified from allrecipes.com):

1 package yeast

1 c warm water

1/4 c sugar

3 T milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups flour

olive oil or butter

In stand mixer or bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water, let stand until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, and egg. Add 2 cups flour and stir. Continue adding flour, kneading with the dough hook as you go, or turning out when you can no longer stir if kneading by hand. Knead dough until smooth and place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double. Punch down and pinch off small handfuls of dough the size of golf balls, roll, and place on greased tray. Cover and rise until double. You can cook naan on a grill or in a skillet. I prefer cast iron because it retains an even heat so well, but you could also use a nonstick skillet. Roll each ball into a thin circle. If desired, brush with olive oil or butter before grilling, or add just a little olive oil to the pan before cooking each one. If desired, keep warm in 200F oven as you cook all the dough.