spicy – Cooking the Books

February 24, 2024January 27, 2024

On chorizo burritos and coming out

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School – Sonora Reyes

Summary: Yami knows she’s a lesbian but desperately hopes no one else knows, as she and her brother start at a new Catholic school, but of course, she immediately befriends (and falls for?) the one out and proud lesbian at her school.

“So hey, if you still want to leave, you can. But I’d love for you to stay for breakfast. I was about to make your favorite.”
“How do you know what my favorite breakfast is?”
“Because you’re about to tell me.” He smiles. “So, what’s for breakfast?”
“Chorizo burritos.” I don’t know why talking about my favorite breakfast food makes me tear up.
p. 241

I fell in love with this book from its opening line: “Seven years of bad luck can slurp my ass.” I immediately identified with (spoiler for the second sentence) being so rageful as to punch a mirror and the profane way the main character describes it.

And the rest of the book did not disappoint. Yami—and her friends, frenemies, and family—proves to be as complicated as the emotions evoked in that first sentence. She is equal parts headstrong and stubborn as she is impulsive and sardonic. Throw in a healthy amount of self-doubt as evidenced by the foodie quote, and you’ve got a fully realized teenage girl, at least from my own experiences.

Being a lesbiana is newer to me, but is yet another way of being seen.

So, self-doubt? Check. Queerness? Check. How do we get to the chorizo burritos?

Well, aside from the above, my wife introduced me to her recipe very soon after we became serious enough to start sharing meals.

I’m not sure it’s exactly what Yami envisioned, but I can say that in 10+ years of marriage and dating, I don’t think I’ve ever made the meal myself, always trusting her with it.

While it’s relatively simple, it’s always hard to make something you’ve long since entrusted someone else to do perfectly. Still, I think I did OK in my attempt.

Here’s what I did, following my wife’s instructions:

Ingredients

Oil, for sauteing
Butter, for cooking eggs
1 lb. Mexican chorizo
1 large russet potato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2–3 large eggs
Pickled jalapeno slices, for serving (optional)
Shredded cheddar or crumbled cotija, for serving (optional, and as preferred)
Burrito-sized tortillas

Directions

Step 1: Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the potato, cooking until the potatoes are almost fully cooked through. Add the onions, cooking until softened and translucent, about 3–5 minutes. Add the chorizo, cooking until the potatoes and chorizo are cooked to perfection. Remove from heat.
Step 2: In a separate large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add eggs, being sure to break up the yolks. Cook until done, flipping halfway through, and remove from heat. Cut up the eggs into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3: Add the eggs to the chorizo mixture, and add in jalapeno slices (if using).
Step 4: To serve, spoon desired amount of mixture into tortilla, top with cheese (if using), and wrap burrito. Enjoy!

November 30, 2020

Beans, beans, they’re good for the heart

I have had a number of solo or near-solo Thanksgivings, so this year’s forced isolation wasn’t so bad for me. While I know it’s not the same for everyone, I do truly appreciate all those who decided to stay home for the safety of everyone.

However, just because it was just the two of us this Turkey Day didn’t mean I didn’t go all out with my usual meal prep. I’m a sucker for traditional sides, if not traditional main meats. A turkey is too much for two people.

So, after a busy day of cooking, it’s nice to be able to have something super simple to make.

I must confess that I found yet another dip recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, and I couldn’t resist making just one more. They’ve all been so good and delightfully simple, and I wanted to make just one more before the year was out.

This one is billed as a bean dip, and while there are both pinto beans and black beans, there’s enough else in there that it doesn’t seem right to focus on the beans. There’s chorizo (I used fake!), chipotle, cheese, and that’s just other food items that start with C.

OK, there’s not too many more beyond that and the beans, but still there’s a lot going on, and it’s simple and a total delight. Just what’s needed after stress-cooking and/or a stressful year.

So much cheese, chorizo, and chipotle (and beans!). Nom noms.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

10 oz. ground chorizo (fake OK – but add a little oil if cooking with fake meat)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 t. chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (since these end up smashed, I think you could buy refried beans, but I did follow the recipe and it worked out well)
1 c. jalapeno jack cheese, shredded
Lime wedges, for serving
Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a 9-inch ovenproof skillet, cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until the sausage is brown, and using a wooden spoon to break up as it cooks (if using real meat). Remove mixture from skillet and drain on paper towels.

In a medium bowl, combine black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, chipotle peppers, and sausage mixture. In a small bowl, mash the pinto beans (if you didn’t use refried beans). Spread the pinto bean paste into the skillet. Top with the chorizo mixture. Add cheese on top.

Bake about 15 minutes until cheese is golden and mixture is bubbling. Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips and enjoy!

October 4, 2020

The trashiest, tastiest toastie

This week’s recipe partially feels like a cheat. After all, it’s just a grilled cheese sandwich with a few extras.

But it’s been a long year and I needed some comfort food. Besides, it *is* made with a few additions that make it at least a little unlike any grilled cheese I’ve made before, starting with coating the outside in mayonnaise.

Before I get to any additional weirdness, though, I want to explain how I came to make this recipe to begin with. It’s a fun story time, I promise.

I came across a click-baity article a couple months ago that was about the kind of conspiracy theory I can get behind, one that is quite harmless and mostly meaningless. That is, the theory that the Nando’s brand medium peri peri sauce is in fact spicier than its hot variety. I’ve long been a fan of peri peri sauce, as it’s a not-too-hot hot sauce for my tastes and its extremely flavorful beyond just spicy. And Nando’s is the brand I typically buy.

So, I went ahead and bought a bottle of both and conducted a taste test with some quite tasty chicken wings. My sweetie, who had not seen which was which when I placed it on the plate, was fooled into thinking the medium was the hot sauce. While I could not likewise do a blind taste test, I shared his opinion.

The wings, however, did not use up all the sauce and we had two bottles (actually four, because I also sampled some other varieties) in our fridge, looking for an excuse to be used. So, I perused the recipe booklet that came with the bottles and couldn’t resist the toastie (read: grilled cheese) recipe. It had chicken, peri peri, cheese, and then was supposed to be coated in peri peri-based mayonnaise; while I didn’t have the Nando’s brand mayonnaise, I did have some powdered peri peri lying around, so I mixed it together with mayonnaise.

The result was more or less what I expected: spicy grilled cheese with chicken. And a lot of filling for two sammies. Which means, it was a frickin’ delight!

The mayonnaise cooked the outside a little too well, but I should have turned the stove down when the first side came up a bit blackened. Otherwise, though, I loved every unhealthy bite.

Slightly burnt but the tastiest toastie I’ve ever made.

Here’s what I did, following the booklet recipe other than faking the “perinaise”:

Ingredients

1 ½ c. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 ½ c. shredded sharp cheddar
½ c. peri peri sauce (whichever level of spice you prefer, but remember, the medium may be hotter!)
¼ mayonnaise
Peri peri powder, to taste (optional)
4 slices of bread
Vegetable oil

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, cheese, and peri peri sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and peri peri powder, if using.

Spread the chicken and cheese mixture over two slices of bread. Top with the remaining two slices of bread.

Spread the ½ the mayonnaise mixture on one side of the top of both bread slices.

Heat a 9-inch skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Add a splash of vegetable oil.

Place one sandwich, mayonnaise side down, and spread half the remaining mayonnaise on the top of the bread in the skillet while it cooks. Cook for 2 ½ to 3 minutes until golden, and adjust temperature as needed. Once golden, flip the toastie and cook on the other side for another 2 ½ to 3 minutes until golden and the center is warmed and melty.

Repeat the process with the remaining sandwich, using up the rest of the mayonnaise to coat the last bare slice of bread, and enjoy with a healthy salad to counterbalance this delectable dinner!

July 10, 2020

Two courses plus dip equals one skillet meal

This week’s recipe was something I was going to make as soon as I saw it in my most recent Food & Wine edition. It was just a bonus that it happened to be the perfect meal to get the most use out of my little Le Creuset.

The picture alone was enough to pique my interest in this summer heat: a simple grilled chicken breast atop a dip with a light salad. Then, I actually read the recipe and saw that the dip was not hummus as I presumed but a pepper feta dip. That sold it for me. I was all in.

I wrote down the recipe ingredients, and my sweetie masked up and did our weekly shopping.

Ingredients for grilled chicken with pepper feta dip and salad.

When it came time to make it, I looked closer at the directions and saw to my delight that every part that required cooking would work in my small skillet.

Like a lot of the recipes I’ve made this year — and I’ve learned since I started focusing on using a specific piece of kitchen equipment — there’s more than one way to make this dinner.

If you’re an outdoor griller, feel free to grill the chicken there (the recipe actually called for a grill pan, which is a lot like my small skillet but with ridges). If you would prefer to toast the pita in a toaster, fine. You could even broil the peppers to break them down instead of sauteing them in a small skillet, like the recipe called for.

However, for me, it was perfect to use just the one piece of cooking equipment. (Don’t get me wrong, this recipe dirties a fair number of dishes, just I only used the skillet for cooking.) I didn’t really even bother to do cleaning between uses.

Everything turned out perfectly, though my chicken needed to cook for longer as I admittedly used two chicken breasts instead of just the one the recipe called for since it was supposed to be a dinner for one. I likewise doubled up on everything else.

While I really enjoyed both courses and how they worked well together — the pepper dip complements the same raw peppers in the fattoush and the chicken is so simple to let the dip shine — the real standout was the three-ingredient dip.

If you’re feeling lazy, buy a salad, buy some rotisserie chicken, but place it upon this awesome dip. Or just make the dip. It’s amazing.

Here’s what I did, doubling the recipe (that still left leftover dip!):

Ingredients

6 T. olive oil, divided
4 medium banana peppers or other mild peppers (we used anaheim, which were a twitch spicier), seeded and sliced, divided
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
3 T. lemon juice, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pita
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
~12 grape tomatoes
1 small cucumber, halved and sliced
2 T. red onion, diced
~12 pitted kalamata olives, halved
Torn mint or parsley, to taste

Directions

Heat 2 T. oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add about half the sliced peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly browned. Transfer to a blender or a food processor and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, use another 2 T. to coat the chicken in oil and re-coat the small skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Grill chicken breasts about 8 minutes per side until the thickest part reaches 155 degrees (it will continue to cook while it cools). Remove from heat and set aside to let rest for 10 minutes.

Then, grill the pita, turning often, until crisp and lightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool slightly while bringing the salad together.

Combine the remaining raw peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, mint or parsley. Add the remaining 2 T. olive oil, 1 T. lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Tear up the pita into about 1 inch pieces, and stir into the salad.

Finally, with the sauteed peppers cooled, add the feta and the remaining 2 T. lemon juice. Process until thick and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

To serve, place about ¼ c. of the dip on each of two plates; slice the chicken, and place atop the dip; and divide the salad on the plates (or in a separate bowl); and enjoy!

July 3, 2020

When the moon hits your eye …

No big pizza pie this week, but don’t worry, there’s still amore with these little pizza pies I made in my small skillet.

One of my favorite summer meals is homemade pizza. It doesn’t take a lot of prep or cooking time, so I neither spend a lot of time in front of a hot stove nor heat up the house baking for hours. Plus, who doesn’t love pizza anytime?

Homemade pizza also means I can put anything on it without having to pay specialty prices.

This last time I made my homemade crust adapted from Betty Crocker, I made an extra serving to see how well my homemade pizza would taste and work in a 9- to 10-inch skillet.

As I’d hoped and expected, about half of one crust flattens into a 9- to 10-inch skillet. Thus, as hoped and expected, you need about half your typical pizza topping ingredients for a smaller skillet.

Or, if you’re me, you use both your 9- and 10-inch skillets and have two options for toppings, and you and your sweetie have your Book-It-style personal pan pizzas. No reading required. (Though obviously recommended, as reading is fun!)

Like with most of my homemade pizzas, I don’t really keep track of the amounts of toppings so my guide below will be both based on a full-size pizza so halve accordingly and also will be estimates. However, feel free to use your own toppings to your desired levels, though I have loved my adapted Betty Crocker crust for years and highly recommend adopting it as your own go-to crust recipe.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

For the crust:

*Will make 2 pizzas in 9- to 10-inch skillet

2 ¼ t. active dry yeast (1 package)
½ c. warm water
1 t. honey
¾ c. whole wheat flour
½ to ¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 T. olive oil
½ t. salt

For the toppings:

*Will make 2 of the same pizza, so halve or have a variety of toppings available

Oil or oil spray
¼ c. tomato paste or tomato sauce (I use either, depending on my mood)
3 c. mozzarella, shredded
½ small bell pepper, chopped
4 pepperoncinis, chopped
8 slices salami
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
½ t. garlic powder

Directions

For the crust:

In a medium bowl, mix together the warm water and honey, and add the yeast. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast has started to activate.

Add the oil and salt, and then the whole wheat flour. Use a large spatula or your hands to begin to mix together the dough, adding all-purpose flour as necessary until the dough comes together into an easy-to-handle mixture. Turn the dough out onto a (all-purpose) floured purpose, and begin to knead, adding more flour as necessary. Knead until the dough is smooth and springy.

Place into a clean, greased medium bowl, turning to coat all sides of the dough in grease. Cover and let rise about 20 minutes until roughly doubled in size.

Punch down, and divide. Place smaller dough balls into Ziploc bags or smaller covered bowls, preferably greased, and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 48 hours (I actually like it better if it is at least overnight but it works fine after 2 hours.)

For the pizza:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly oil a 9- to 10- inch skillet, or if you have two, oil them both.

Take 1 dough ball, and slowly press into the skillet. It at first will not stretch well, but as you keep pressing and working to form a flat surface that covers the skillet, it will begin to give more. Once it covers the bottom, with a little lip around the edges, spread about half of the sauce. Top with ½ the peppers and ½ the salami. Cover the toppings with half the cheese. Add half the herbs and spices.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the crust and cheese are lightly browned. Remove from heat, and enjoy your personal pan pizza.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients after the skillet has cooled, or use a second similarly sized skillet, and enjoy a second personal pan pizza!

May 1, 2020

Breaking biscuits and gravy, Part 2

As promised, I am back this week with a chorizo gravy recipe.

I feel a little bad that I made everyone wait a week and worse that I imagine most readers would rather substitute in store-bought biscuits than just forego this great chorizo gravy recipe.

Well, I am here to tell you that good things are worth the wait, and this is no exception.

It was a true delight.

I don’t even think all the other additions (cotija, avocado, scallions, and cilantro) are strictly necessary, even though of course I added them and would definitely do them again. That being said, as much as I love cotija, I feel like it does add the least in the addition, just because the gravy is already so fatty and so flavorful that the crumbly Mexican cheese doesn’t add as much as I would have thought. Also, for my personal tastes, I could take or leave the scallions. But when I make it again, it will definitely still have avocados and cilantro, and frankly, probably the others too.

Here is where I do admit that I did semi-cheat by not using my Le Creuset on the gravy. I thought since the biscuits called for an 8-inch skillet (maybe a typo, see last week) that it’d be safer to use the 9-inch for the biscuits and not overwhelm it with gravy that could overtop, so I went with our 10-inch cast iron for the gravy.

Technically, I think 9-inch would still work, particularly as you brown the chorizo and then remove it to make the gravy, and only are supposed to add back in half the chorizo, with the rest on top separately. I went ahead and added all the chorizo back in and it fit comfortably in the 10-inch. Alternatively, when the gravy is done, it could be poured into the sitting chorizo instead and you could keep using a 9-inch without problem.

What I’m saying is this one is pretty adaptable. Cook your gravy how you like, and add what you like, or nothing, to the top, and all is good, man. Just enjoy.

I love it when a masterpiece comes together.

Here’s what I did, finishing out the Bon Appetit recipe without many changes:

Ingredients

1 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. fresh chorizo, casings removed (or just buy Beeler’s that already is removed from casings, like I did)
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 ½ c. whole milk (I accidentally did not specify when my sweetie went shopping so we used 2% and it was fine)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
3 T. butter, if needed (my chorizo was not very fatty, so to make a roux, I needed more fat, you may too)
2 avocados, for serving (optional)
4 scallions, sliced, for serving (optional)
½ c. cilantro, chopped, for serving (optional)
½ c. cotija cheese or queso fresco, for serving (optional)

Directions

Heat oil in a 9- to 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo, breaking up any large pieces, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chorizo is browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl (small if planning to add back in to gravy, larger if planning on adding gravy to bowl).

Add additional butter if needed so that you have a total of about 3 T of fat to mix with the flour to make a roux. Add the flour once the butter has melted, if using, and whisk constantly until the roux is starting to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until incorporated. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook gravy until thickened, another 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir in half the chorizo, or all of it, or add the gravy to the chorizo mixture, as will fit and as desired. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce, to taste.

To serve: Spoon some gravy over biscuits (either cornmeal from last week or store bought), and then top with avocados, scallions, cilantro, and cotija, if using any or all, and the rest of the chorizo if you didn’t mix it in. Add more hot sauce if desired, and enjoy the gluttony!

April 10, 2020

This is hell, time for purgatory eggs

Another week of self-isolation, another simple recipe for the end times.

My sweetie found this simple egg dish from the Add a Pinch blog that managed to use ingredients we mostly had lying around the house. We did end up needing to get more eggs by the time I worked up the energy to make it, but so much of the dish called “eggs in purgatory” includes household staples that make this a simple and tasty breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.

As is typical when I try to poach eggs, I overcooked them. I pretend that one day I’m going to solve this but I have eaten eggs where the whites aren’t quite done and I would rather eat hard yolks for an eternity than have to eat underdone eggs ever again. So, I will live with my choices.

However, for you dear reader, know that 9 minutes is likely waayyyy too long; three minutes definitely was still too short, so somewhere in between is probably good.

Other than that (not very) helpful advice, the only other key is to use a good tomato sauce as it makes up most of the flavor. I ended up using a straight up pre-made pasta sauce, particularly arrabbiata, so if you have that on hand, it’s even better. Oh, and a good bread to serve this with makes this dish go from good to great.

Here’s what I did, slightly adapting the recipe:

Ingredients

~1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 ¼ c. tomato sauce or pasta sauce (the more flavorful the better, but whatever you have on hand will work)
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
¼ t. red pepper flakes (I didn’t measure but did not use a lot as arrabbiata is already semi-spicy)
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped, divided
4 eggs
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
Toasted bread, for serving (optional)

Directions

Drizzle olive oil into a 9- or 10-inch skillet set over medium heat. Once the skillet warms, add the onions and cook about 3 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Then, stir in the tomato/pasta sauce, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Add about half of the parsley and cook for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and flavors to meld.

Break eggs into each quarter of the skillet on top of the sauce (the recipe, of course, says to place it into a small bowl first, but I’ve never dirtied another dish *embarrassed face*). Top with the grated cheese and any additional salt and pepper, as desired.

Cover the skillet and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are done to desired level (see note above for how long-ish to do that). Remove from heat, sprinkle on the remaining parsley, and any additional cheese, and enjoy with a fancy bread!

April 3, 2020

More meat and mustard

Again, it’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine!), so I splurged again on a meat cut I rarely get: pork tenderloin.

Mostly I got it because I liked last week’s recipe so much that I felt like there had to be a good recipe that used Dijon and mixed it with pork tenderloin. I was right and happy to discover that Food & Wine had one, as did many others to varying degrees of difficulty.

I finally settled on the one that also included paprika and also Dijon, and not much else.

Dijon and paprika pork tenderloin ingredients.

I thought about trying to figure out a way to also make vegetables in the same skillet like last week, but I really just wanted to spend more time being anxious and horrified about the world today. So, I opted for easy. No problem to fit 1 lb of pork tenderloin (halved) into my skillet, and then just use a sheet pan to roast some veggies to serve on the side.

The recipe technically called for 2 lb of pork tenderloin but that’s still a little too rich for my blood, even in the end times; plus, you make some good veggies on the side, and 1 lb still serves 4. I still used the full amount of the rest of the ingredients; I like a strongly spiced meal, what can I say?

Again, it’s super simple in these times when your mind might be elsewhere, and this way, you can serve it with whatever you like. My choice this time (after supporting my local co-op) was romanesco and fingerling potatoes with garlic and lemon. But you do you.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

~1 lb. pork tenderloin
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. smoked paprika (I mixed 1 t. each of smoked and hot, but adjust for your tastes)
1 t. salt
2 T. olive oil

Directions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon, paprika, and salt. Rub the mixture on the pork. Halve or cut the tenderloin as necessary so it all fits in your skillet, preferably as little as possible.

In a 9- or 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the tenderloin (halves), and cook until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes.

Use tongs to flip the pork, and then transfer the skillet to the oven.

Roast for about 15 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 135 degrees. Transfer to a cutting surface, and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Slice the pork, and serve with preferred veggies or side dish, and enjoy!

January 4, 2020

Testing one, two, beans

My mom got me a great gift for Christmas a couple years ago. All this silly chef could ask for, really. A Le Creuset. With a beautiful lilac finish. That I just love.

The problem? There isn’t one at all. Except that for years and years I’ve been thinking too big, most recently with sheet pans and Dutch ovens, and my little pseudo-skillet hasn’t gotten nearly as much love as it deserves. So, this year, I’m thinking small.

While I’ll be using my specialty equipment (sold as a braiser, apparently), the recipes I’ll be making this year will work in a 9- or 10-inch skillet, though a lid (or some aluminum foil) will be useful this week, and likely throughout the year.

I’ve done some minor research on recipes to ensure that I’ll have plenty to work with, but it’s not super easy to find recipes that say the exact size of the pan, pot, or otherwise that should be used for each recipe.

My vague memory is that pies were a rare exception among the hundreds of recipes I’ve looked at since recording my foodie adventures that specify the size of the equipment I should be using. So aside from thinking small, the challenge this year will be kind of a more literal version of “if it fits, I cooks.”

Mexican breakfast ingredients that fits so I cooks.

Mercifully, as I was thinking small, I remembered that one of my favorite cookbooks (another Christmas gift, this one from my brother) has recipes that uses just 5 ingredients. Now, this doesn’t have to mean small, but there are options. And even better, the author Jamie Oliver does occasionally list the size skillet. None were my 22 cm small, but several were close enough. I hoped.

With my fingers crossed, I tried my first recipe and prayed that a can of beans plus 4 other ingredients would fit. If it didn’t, I may have been reassessing my choice. I breathed a heavy, happy sigh of relief when my first test of Mexican breakfast was a success. I still overcooked the eggs.

I’m still working out some kinks in becoming an expert but I hope you, dear readers, will be patient and stick with me through the ride. Welcome to small skillet 2020!

Perfect Saturday breakfast for two, and maybe kinda healthy too.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

1 can (14 oz.) black beans
4 eggs
½ jalapeno, diced, divided
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Juice from 1 lime
Olive oil

Directions

Add the olive oil to your small (9- to 10-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add about half the diced peppers. Once they start to sizzle, crack in the eggs, and then immediately spoon in the black beans, including about half the juice from the tin. Cover and simmer the eggs to your liking, probably around 4 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the avocado slices by squeezing on some lime juice.

Once the eggs are ready, remove from heat, top the mixture with the avocado around the pan, and then add the remaining peppers, and enjoy!

November 16, 2019

Last week redux

I enjoyed last week’s recipe so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and one of my thoughts was how so many of the ingredients would work really well in a Greek/Middle Eastern recipe. Olives, roasted red peppers, onions, and tomatoes all would work perfectly.

Then, of course, I got to thinking about the other things that I would have to adapt. And before I knew it, I had a nearly completely different recipe using nearly the same template.

I’ll admit some ingredients were easier to replace than others. I could have still used barley, but pearl couscous was sitting right there being perfect.

I thought about going full vegetarian, since ground sausage wouldn’t work. That’s when I remembered that gyro slices exist and are practically a perfect meat.

The sauce did take me awhile. Well, I thought of something pretty early, but it took awhile to convince myself it was the best option. Of course, it was a simple yogurt sauce.

Anyway, the results were absolutely fantastic.

Not only was it a delight but it also didn’t taste like I’d made the same thing two weeks in a row. Double bonus.

So much feta, gyro meat, and pepperoncinis. Delicious.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

1 c. dried pearl couscous (cooked to package instructions, to yield about 3 c. cooked)
Oil, for coating
1 lb. gyro meat slices, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (12 oz.) jar roasted sweet red peppers, chopped
½ c. pitted green olives, chopped
1 (14.5 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts
1 c. plain yogurt
~⅛ c. lemon juice
Fresh dill, to taste (I used the entire package, but I love dill)
¼ c. chopped parsley
1 T. oregano
Pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used the jar stuff, sorry)
½ c. mozzarella, shredded
1 ½ c. crumbled feta, divided
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c. pepperoncinis, sliced, optional

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, on the stove top, coat a large Dutch oven and heat over medium. Brown the gyro meat, stirring occasionally, and soon after add the onions, and cook continuing to stir until the onions are translucent.

Add the roasted red peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, and cook for a minute or two to just meld flavors.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dill, parsley, orgeano, and pepper.

Remove the Dutch oven from the heated stove top, and add the cooked pearl couscous, tomatoes, the mozzarella, about half the feta, and the yogurt sauce. Stir to combine.

Cover the mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, take off cover, add the remaining feta to the top, about half the pepperoncinis if using, and then continue to bake uncovered for about 10 minutes more until the cheese is melty. Add the remaining pepperoncinis just before serving for an extra kick, and enjoy!