"Shakshuka - the easy way, or make your own, Spring Parmigiano-Reggiano, Baking Season and more at chefshop.com/enews
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Shakshuka - morning, noon & night
A meaty sauce without the meat.
Breakfast for some, lunch or dinner for others, Shakshuka is a delicious dish that is easy to make and even easier when you use Cafe Mina’s version.
Shakshuka has a long history with many theories of when and where it originated. An everyday “one pot dish” in a big swath of countries from Tunisia and Morocco and east to Egypt, Israel and Syria.
Variations abound with different spices and the addition of lamb, potatoes and artichokes is common. Cultural variations of tomato based sauces span the globe and this Moroccan version is the spicy one!
Mina’s Shashuka starts like a tomato sauce you would make at home. With chunks and bits of texture giving not only a flavor but also a great mouth feel. The tomato sauce is absolutely present along with the spices and an all-around heat. It’s a heat that’s tingly, pleasantly hot (not spicy) and when you finish there’s a wonderful aftertaste.
If you’re not careful you’ll eat the whole dish before you know it. The combination of the egg whites, the yolk and the tomato creates a mouth feel of pleasure, that is very rewarding, satisfying and very homey.
This meaty dish has no meat, instead your heart is filled with tomatoes and eggs. This dish is simple and plain, easy and quick, just like you want your vegetarians to be!
Shop now for Mina Shakshuka Moroccan Tomato Sauce! |
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A Desert Miracle
Organic Moroccan Olive Oil
Wonderful lightness, filling the mouth with the feel of the Arbequina olive. Desert Miracle olive oil is a sweet oil with a light almost hidden burn in the back of the throat. Its character of Spain is present with a bit of fruitiness. And now - it is a certified organic olive oil.
This wonderful oil has really created its own following! With a distinct flavor and wonderful round smoothness that you get from an oil from this part of the world. Grown in the desert it has some of the most polyphenols of any oil on the planet. The perfect oil if you make your own Shakshuka.
Shop now for Desert Miracle Olive Oil!
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Sel Gris Grey Sea Salt
Coarse Granular Salt crystals from the coast of Brittany
This is a wonderful "sel marin" marine salt, or a grey French sea salt (as compared to the white fleur de sel) from Brittany, home to some of the world's best sea salts. With a moist texture that beautifully evokes the ocean, this is a great finishing salt and an excellent way to bring out the flavors of vegetables, meats and more.
Unlike many salt farmers, or "paludiers," the Hervy family has chosen to remain independent rather than joining a marketing cooperative to sell their sel gris grey salt. The family owns two salt pond areas, and they consider their excellent quality French sea salt and resulting loyal clientele to be a result of their total control of the product.
Shop now for Sel Gris Grey salt from M Hervy France!
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Tellicherry Peppercorns
Freshly ground peppercorns make all the difference in the world! Flavor, flavor enhancement and personality is what you get. And is a great substitute to open up your flavor sensors to a low or no salt diet!
The term "Tellicherry" originated when these large, black peppercorns were exported from the Indian port city of the same name. These are the most pungent black peppercorns with the deepest hot flavor you'll ever find! Once traded, ounce for ounce, for pure gold, Tellicherry pepper is still a superlative spice that can add a depth of flavor - first heat, then a tinge of sweetness - to your everyday meals.
Shop now for Tellicherry Peppercorns!
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"Transformative"
"I've used this spice in everything from Southern cheese straws to butternut squash soup, and it turns everything it touches into gold. You wouldn't believe how deep and smoky it is. Can't wait to try the hot version."
-- Misipi_Law_Lady
Shop now for Sweet Smoked Paprika!
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Cumin
This whole cumin is grown in the fertile valleys to the west of Marrakech, between Chichaoua and Essaouira on the Atlantic Coast, and it is some of the most flavorful cumin in the world. It has a spicy-sweet aroma and a pungent, powerful, sharp flavor with a slightly bitter finish. Along with coriander and anise, cumin is one of the most essential spices in the Moroccan kitchen.
Shop now for Whole Cumin!
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Ground Turmeric
Think of this as a "fresh" product. It was just hand ground with mortar and pestle in the market in Casablanca and air-shipped in to the chefs. You can tell it is hand ground by the fact that it is not a fine powder. Tur•mer•ic is one amazing aromatic perennial herb of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family. This tuberous rhizome (root) of a flowering plant grows in tropical locales. It is most often ground fresh like wasabi, or boiled, dried, and ground to make a powder.
Once upon a time it was called Indian Saffron (in fact it is still used to dye impostor saffron) for its deep orange color. It is also known for its powerful health benefits that Indian Ayurvedic medicine and Chinese medicine have been using for 4000 years to reduce inflammation, help with toothaches, and jaundice. Perhaps the true route to its success is how it helps with flatulence and digestive issues.
Like a high-quality fresh olive oil, turmeric is showing that it might also be a fighter of Alzheimer's and diabetes. (Caution for diabetics as it can thin blood, always ask your doctor.)
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric and it is curcumin that is believed to destroy mutated cells associated with prostate, breast, and colon cancers.
Shop Now for Turmeric!
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Apple Cider Vinegar
It's (almost) fall! Think of leaves turning beautiful colors and fresh, crisp apples. And that baking season is here! And what could seem better than having Gravenstein Apple Cider Vinegar on hand ready to go!
"Wow!"
"My daughter needs to take vinegar for her stomach and when I gave her a bottle of this for her Christmas stocking she was blown away by how good it tasted. She told me it had a rich apple flavor with mild vinegar tartness, better than anything she's ever had in the past. She loved it!"
-- Steve
Shop now for Gravenstein Apple Cider Vinegar!
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Baking! Candied Fruit
Baking season is upon us and it feels good. Beyond pies, crumbles and croissants, baking food for family, friends and yourself is a great way to celebrate the changing of the seasons! Thinking of making fruitcake, cookies or panettone, candied fruit is essential. Check out our ever growing list of sourced candied fruit. And whilst there check out all of the categories we have for baking!
Click here to get ready for Baking!
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This Week's Recipes |
Chocolate Bark with Almonds, Candied Fruit and Trapani Sea Salt Recipe
This recipe came was adapted from Food & Wine Magazine (March, 2011), and an article about Chefs and how they stay slim and in-shape. This recipe is from Jacques Torres or Jacques Torres Chocolate in New York City.
I think the thing that caught my eye - besides the fact that I love anything chocolate, is what Jacques said about cravings, "I'm more addicted to chocolate than I am to sugar. "A small piece of super-quality dark chocolate bark can stave off intense cravings.
Chicken Potpie with Phyllo Crust Recipe
Marian Burros wrote this wonderful cookbook, Cooking for Comfort (Simon and Schuster, 2003). It has all those classic recipes you remember from your childhood. A must-have for novices and experts alike, and one of our go-to cookbooks for just about any recipe you are hankering for on that cold rainy day.
So, if you are looking for a chicken potpie that reminds you of Mom's, then this is the one for you.
Cranberry and Lemon Florentines Recipe
A lacy, crispy cookie. Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine recipe (December, 2009).
Shakshuka Recipe
A great recipe and a place to start your own version!
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