Foodspiration

Every now and then you have to get out of your recipe rut. I've been in a rut for some time; cooking the same things over and over...mostly good, healthy things, but sometimes a girl needs to try something new. So I googled "the best cook book of all time" and got the Epicurious list of 10 best cook books ever. On the list was Joy of Cooking, which I own, but it's not a very inspiring book, it has no pretty pictures to whet one's appetite. The second book on the list was Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which just seems plain scary. The third was Baking. Scratch that. The fourth book was the taste of Country Cooking, but I found no inspiration there either. However, the fifth book caught my eye with its beautiful cover. Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty. I've heard about this book, most people interested in cooking probably have, since it's been featured on every other magazine and blog, and has been a best selling book. Anyway, I decided to give it a try without making the ultimate commitment, i.e., borrow it from the library. Plenty is a beautiful book, and it's all vegetarian recipes. I've had a couple of days to leaf through it now and I marked a few recipes to try. Some of the recipes seem quite complicated, and the ingredient lists are long and full of ingredients that a)I've never heard of, and b)would have no idea where to buy from. I mean, where do you get quail eggs? But some recipes look easy enough for someone like me who likes to cook, but likes to do it "quick and dirty" (tykkään säveltää ja soveltaa oman maun mukaan, ja sen mukaan mitä kaapista löytyy, jos ei vaikka juuri sillä hetkellä satu olemaan niitä viiriäisen munia jääkaapissa...)

Isn't it a beautiful book? 

The first recipe that I decided to try was the Shakshuka. Never mind that I didn't have cumin seeds, muscavado sugar, thyme sprigs, or saffron threads... enter coriander powder, brown sugar, and some sage powder instead. 

I don't have the individual little frying pans either. So another adjustment was needed -- make the shakshuka in a big pan. 

But no worries...my big pan was big enough for the whole family. 

It looks really pretty when it's cooking. All those beautiful colors! 

A couple of observations: the vegetable base with the onions, peppers, and tomato, with spices and the brown sugar, was super delicious. It could be a base for anything; chicken, some chorizo, beans, even burgers. I will definitely use my adjusted recipe to make it again. 

The final meal was quite delicious. I would like to know if the cumin seeds, thyme and saffron would much enhance the taste, so I may need to get them to try this again. Shakshuka was not difficult to make, and it's pretty healthy and wholesome. 

I made the shakshuka for lunch today, but this would really be perfect for a brunch.