by Yvonne Maffei | Feb 19, 2015 | Breakfast & Brunch, Egg Dishes
I didn’t intend to add the recipe for this breakfast dish today but since there were a lot of requests for it, I’ll add it below. It’s hearty and super delicious and I have a very similar recipe that yields a larger dish in my cookbook, Summer Ramadan Cooking, which can be purchased here.
I made this one just for myself because I often have eggs at breakfast and if it’s more than just me at the table, I repeat this recipe so that it makes one nicely-rounded egg dish and pours easily onto the plate because the whole dish starts off with butter.
A few notes:
-Fresh herbs make everything better, so try to avoid the dried ones.
-To find the sucuk, or Turkish-style spiced sausage, is a great substitute for chorizo and goes so well with eggs. If you don’t want to actually cook with it, just cut a few pieces up and keep it on the side of the eggs when serving.
-This was part of a Turkish-style breakfast that I was craving, also known as kahvalti. I didn’t go the full course because I didn’t have all the fixings on hand, but if you want to go all out, add fresh cheese like feta, some wonderful Mediterranean olives, fresh jams, make borek (it’s easier than you think), and of course do not forget the tea…
Here’s the recipe- are you hungry yet?
![Chorizo and Eggs]()
by Yvonne | Oct 4, 2011 | Breakfast & Brunch, Dinner, Egg Dishes, Halal-Certified Products, Lunch, Mexican, Red Meat Dishes, Spanish
It’s been more than ten years since I’ve eaten chorizo, a type of Spanish sausage spiced with flavors like paprika which gives it an orange color. The reason I haven’t had it in so many years is because it’s mostly made with pork. The only time I remember having it was on some tacos in Mexico during my time in the Yucatán. It’s quite popular in all Latin American countries, actually.
Chorizo and Eggs, not quite finished here
(more…)
![Parmesan & Feta Quiche]()
by Yvonne | Aug 5, 2011 | Breakfast & Brunch, Egg Dishes, French, Halal-Certified Products, Italian, Ramadan, Suhoor, Vegetarian
Everyone is talking about this year’s daily fasts in Ramadan being so long because sunset (the time when the fast is broken) will come a little after 8pm here in Chicago. It’s also a hot summer season. Very hot.
Fasting isn’t meant to be perfectly easy or else how could we savor the reward of building self-discipline? It’s also not meant to harm us, either. We have to do it right so that we can experience it with enough energy to get through the day, do our work and take care of other responsibilities. (more…)
![Easy Appetizer: Egg Salad and Baby Shrimp on Toast]()
by Yvonne | Oct 16, 2010 | American, Appetizers & Snacks, Egg Dishes, Fish & Seafood
If you’ve already got egg salad on hand, this is a super quick appetizer to prepare. If not, here’s my recipe for a healthy and quick egg salad to get you started.
This appetizer came about on a day when I was busy working, unprepared to cook and not feeling well enough to put out a spread of my usual fan fare for guests. One look at my cabinet and I found canned baby shrimp and Hawaiian Pink Salt by this ‘great’ company called Great Salts (more on them later). One look at my refrigerator and I found a freshly homemade egg salad, some Persian cucumbers, and multi-grain bread.
My brain immediately went scanning for information to put together a simple, pleasing appetizer that would go well with a refreshing drink or simple tea for my guests. I thought of finger food on top of toast or crackers. I would cut the bread into fours and bake it until toasty and then top it with my ingredients on hand, piling them one by one for a pretty as well as flavorful appetizer.
Egg Salad & Baby Shrimp on Toast
Ingredients
6 pieces multi-grain bread
1 small Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups egg salad
1 can baby shrimp
a few pinches pink salt, such as Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt or any pink Himalayan salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- With kitchen shears, cut bread into four equal pieces. Place in heated oven for 15 minutes or until nicely toasted.
- On a serving platter, line up toasts evenly. Layer each piece with two slices of cucumber, topped with a dollup of the egg salad. Add a few baby shrimp on top of the eggs and finish with a couple sprinkles of the salt.
- Keep refrigerated until serving.
Resources
Great Salts sells lovely and unique salts such as Celtic, Himalayan, Hawaiian and smoked salts. You have to visit their website to grasp all the varieties they sell and the possibilities for utilization in cooking. I particularly love pink salts and finishing salts, for which the Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt was perfect in this dish, though technically doesn’t fit into either category. It was simply a great finisher for the top of the appetizer but also added a beautiful, complementary color as well as a crunchy texture to the bite-sized treat.
I also have the Sel Gris de Guérande (Celtic Grey Sea Salt), which I use in every day cooking and the Black Truffle Salt, which I use sparingly for really special dishes.
Overall, their prices are quite reasonable, particularly for the high quality and very cute jars they come in (I’ll be saving mine long after the salt is gone). I wouldn’t normally be such a fan of mail-order foods or condiments, but I have to say this is one item I just may have to replenish, insha’allah. There’s just no comparison I’ve seen in the salt world yet, and my interest is peaked in all the other varieties they have available.
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![Egg Salad]()
by Yvonne | Oct 15, 2010 | American, Egg Dishes
Once you’ve got a great recipe for egg salad, there’s so much you can do with it: serve it up in a sandwich or parcel it out for appetizers. Either way, I really love the versatility of this dish and the fact that it’s nutritious and always a crowd pleaser.
Start out with the freshest, cage-free, organic eggs, if possible. I also love making my own mayonnaise or buying a good quality organic variety such as the one sold at Trader Joe’s.
Once you’ve got the base recipe, add additions you love. We like capers and olives and roasted peppers in our house. What would you like to add?
Egg Salad Recipe
Serves 6
8 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon capers
Yields 2 cups of egg salad (makes 4 sandwiches)
- Boil eggs for about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and allow them to cool in that water for 5-10 minutes. This will make them easier to peel.
- Peel the eggs of their shells and place eggs in a large bowl. Use a potato masher or the back of a large fork to gently mash the eggs until you reach the consistency desired for sandwiches or appetizers.
- Add the mayo, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs. Mix gently. Add capers and/or any additional ingredients desired.
- Use 1/4-1/2 cup of mixture per sandwich. Croissants, brioche, and multi-grain breads are a great choice for egg salad sandwiches.
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Egg Salad and Baby Shrimp on Toast (A Quick Appetizer)
![Cherry Tomato and Sharp Cheddar Cheese Quiche]()
by Yvonne | May 22, 2010 | Breakfast & Brunch, Egg Dishes, French
One of my favorite things about pie crust is that it’s so versatile once you have some ideas of what to do with it. It’ s a whole new tasting experience to try savory dishes using pie dough instead of just the typical (but deliciously sweet) fruit pies. Another thing I love is the technique involved in learning how to make quiche, which is a French word for a savory open tart with a custard-type filling, usually made up of vegetables.
The most famous quiche is the Quiche Lorraine, (made with cheese and bacon, obviously not halal) but once you learn how to make one type of quiche, you can make yours with anything you have on hand. That’s the beauty of learning cooking techniques– they will feed help you feed yourself, as opposed to just memorizing recipes, which will leave you dependent on ingredients and instructions.
I made this recipe using a lovely Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese from Cabot, mainly because they are halal-certified and also because the company was generous enough to introduce me to this specific style of their cheese by sending a couple boxes of their many cheese varieties. I’m loving experimenting with the different (all halal-certified) types they have. Try their excellent cheese and try this quiche with it, or use any vegetables you have. If you don’t have any veggies, just make a simple cheese quiche. Simplicity is always a good thing.
Cherry Tomato and Sharp Cheddar Quiche
Ingredients
1 ready-made pie crust, defrosted and cold (I prefer the Trader Joe’s brand)
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
6 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
1 pound of cherry tomatoes, each one cut in half
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Use a rolling pin to thin out dough to cover pie dish and have enough for the edges. Fold over the edges. Place half of the shredded cheddar cheese on the dough in the middle of the pie plate.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and heavy cream. Add the parsley, garlic and the other half of the cheddar cheese. Mix well.
Next, drop in the tomatoes and gently fold them into the mixture, careful not to crush them and spill their juices.
Pour the egg mixture on top of the cheddar into the pie plate. Fold over the edges of the pie dough to form a crust. Add a few pats of butter to the top of the mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center of the quiche is firm. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
