Thursday, March 31, 2011

Chakchouka with Mediterranean Influences

Sunday was gorgeous and sunny, and it prompted me to prepare a brunch inspired by the colourful cuisines of Tunisia and the Mediterranean!

Chakchouka (or shakshouka), is a sort of vegetable stew popular throughout northern Africa, Israel, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, where it’s known as ratatouille (although ratatouille includes several other vegetables, the cooking technique is the same). The dish I made was similar to Tunisian chakchouka, the main difference being in the spices I used: chilli, bay leaf and lots of chopped flat-leaf parsley.

My chakchouka was a highly seasoned mixture of slowly simmered tomatoes, onions, and lots of garlic, to which I added peeled, char-grilled bell peppers. Once this had reduced to a jammy consistency, I delicately poached fresh eggs in the mixture by baking for a few minutes in the oven. Served with a spicy couscous, grilled hot Italian sausages, a fresh green salad, crusty bread, and a cold beer from one of our many excellent microbreweries, it was the perfect brunch!

Friday, March 11, 2011

A Rose for a Rose ...

In Celebration of International Women's Day, and of My Mother, a Very Special Woman!

For the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, I dedicate this beautiful rose from my mother’s garden to all the wonderful women in my life, but especially to my mom. She’s tiny, only 1.5 m tall, but has the most enormous heart and strength of all the women I know! Her unfailing love, devotion, care and attention for my dad ~ who is very ill from cancer ~ are his greatest source of joy, and the most potent drug to assuage the psychological torment caused by this sinister disease. I love you, dearest mom ♥

The name of this rose is "Simply Marvelous ~ Jacideso rose"