In this bonus episode of Caregiver Tea Time, Val shares a Mediterranean breakfast recipe called Shakshuka!
Sitting and waiting and just being a caregiver gave Val, a long time nutritionist, the opportunity to learn more about the Mediterranean Diet.
In a wonderful serendipity, Val's neighbor back home, Andrew Schmidt, had recently graduatedd from the American Culinary Institute of America, and helped her create three days of Mediterranean menus. Val called them "The Mediterranean Diet Adventure." Shakshuka for breakfast is Val's favorite recipe from this collection!
You can learn more about Chef Andrew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefdrew22/#
Chef Andrew is currently the Executive Chef at the Classic Cooking Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Look for more information about Val's Mediterranean Diet Adventure at https://www.caregiverteatime.com/
01:09 Description of how to use the Shakshuka Sauce recipe for breakfast
01:44 Ingredients for the Shakshuka Sauce recipe
02:45 Instructions for Shakshuka Sauce preparation and cooking
04:17 How to cook the eggs in the Shakshuka Sauce to make a complete breakfast
04:40 How to serve the Shakshuka recipe
Enjoy! Cheers!
In this bonus episode of caregiver tea time, I'm going to share a recipe called Shakshuka.
Sitting and waiting and just being a caregiver gave me lots of opportunities to be creative. One of those times, I decided to focus on learning about the Mediterranean Diet.
I knew it was more than just adding olive oil to everything. And in an amazing serendipity, I learned my neighbor's son, Andrew Schmidt, had just graduated from the American Culinary Institute of America.
He helped me put together three days of menus following the Mediterranean way of eating. He goes by Chef Drew and you can find him on Instagram.
This recipe is the first one I tried and I think it's my very favorite. It starts with a spicy red sauce that you can make ahead of time or on the day you serve it. To make it a good breakfast, poach an egg in the sauce and sprinkle it with feta cheese and cilantro and serve it with a warm pita bread. I like mine over a bed of baby greens, which makes it a little more nutritious and gives me an extra serving of vegetables. First I'll share the ingredients and then the cooking method and then how to put it all together.
So, here are the ingredients for the sauce.
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion sliced
1 medium green, yellow, or red pepper sliced.
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock or I like to use chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
And then here are the spices:
1 to 3 Tablespoons of red chili pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
These spices you can vary according to your taste.
So here's how you cook it:
In a large saucepan, sauté garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Once the garlic is sizzling, but not browned, add the red chili pepper flakes and sauté for an additional minute.
Add the onions and peppers and a pinch of salt and sauté until the onions are translucent. This takes about 7 minutes.
Increase your heat to medium-high and add the tomato paste. Sauté the tomato paste with the onion, peppers and garlic until it's a red brick color. This takes about five minutes. Immediately add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, baking soda, and remaining salt and black pepper. Then mix that all together.
This is kind of an aside: Drew suggested using baking soda instead of sugar, which some people will add to a tomato sauce so it's not quite so bitter. So if you're someone who wants to have less sugar you can add baking soda but if you're someone who wants to have less salt you can add a pinch of sugar.
Once the sauce begins to simmer reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. And now you're ready to put it all together. This recipe will serve four to six people. Make sure you have a saucepan with a tight fitting lid.
So when the sauce is warm to the heat of a simmer, make a little pocket in the sauce for each egg you want to cook. I usually cook six eggs with this recipe. Crack each egg into the sauce and then cover and simmer on medium low heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
Take off the lid and check to see that the eggs are firm. Then place each egg and surrounding sauce on a plate and sprinkle with feta cheese and chopped cilantro. Then serve immediately with warm pita or alongside a cup of fresh baby mixed salad greens like baby spinach or arugula. Now it's time to enjoy. Cheers!
Nothing but the good things,
nothing but the good things,
in this world, living in my heart.
Nothing but the good things,
nothing but the good things,
in this world, living in my heart.
Living in my heart,
Living in my heart.
Caregiver T -Time was recorded at the Coop Studio, Irvington, New York, engineered by Sammy Wags and produced by Bianca Groves.