Plant Based Cooking Masterclass

On June 3rd, I am hosting a Plant Based cooking workshop, you can see the details here and sign up!

Eggs in Spiced Tomato Curry

This is the sort of dish best enjoyed family-style, around your kitchen counter on a Sunday morning, or for dinner with friends on a Friday night. Of course, there are all sorts of versions of this dish: shakshukha, huevos rancheros or eggs in purgatory. My version—fragrant with cumin and sumac—is a reflection of my Pakistani-Persian spice pantry. 

The beauty of this dish is that it comes together very fast; you prepare the spiced tomato base, and then gently drop the eggs in to cook in a warm tomato bath. The result is these perfectly poached eggs in a jammy tomato curry. 

I made my dish with Conestoga’s Farms’ Organic Eggs. Their hens are fed Canadian Organic Regime (COR) certified feed, made from non-GMO grains. Eating local and seasonal is important to me, especially when it comes to feeding my family—what I love is that even for Conestoga Farms, “local matters”. (These eggs are certified local by Foodland Ontario.)

Before serving, adorn with sumac, it’s a spice which you could add to your pantry–it’s garnet-hued, with a tart, earthy flavour. I love dipping some crusty sourdough into these creamy, wholesome organic egg yolks from Conestoga Farms. 

This post was sponsored by Conestoga Farms. Views and recipe are my own.

Equipment: You will need a 9- to10-inch skillet or saute pan and a lid

Makes 6

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon butter

2 large shallots, thinly sliced crosswise, into rings

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon hot smoked paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt (or more, to taste)

3 cups tomato sauce

6 Conestoga Organic Eggs

12-15 cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon sumac

INSTRUCTIONS

Place a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter, and when glistening, add shallots and sauté till golden and softened; about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté till slightly golden. Sprinkle turmeric on top of shallots and garlic and stir till they are yellow and well coated. Add in cumin powder, hot smoked paprika and sea salt. Pour in tomato sauce; as soon as it starts to bubble, cover with a lid, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove lid and taste for salt. Crack eggs, one by one and gently pour into the tomato sauce (don’t worry if the yolks of some of them crack, it will still be delicious). Try to get them all in as quickly as possible, so they cook for the same amount of time. Dot with cherry tomatoes, cover with lid, and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the whites of the eggs are opaque. Take off the heat and sprinkle with sumac. Adorn with your favourite herbs and enjoy with crusty sourdough bread. 

Mix of your favourite fresh herbs (mint, tarragon, coriander)


Persian Cooking Masterclass

Join us on Saturday, September 14th, for a hands on workshop and lunch to learn a few favourites from the Persian kitchen. Once we are done preparing the dishes, we will sit down and share a meal together, family-style. (Location in downtown TO, exact address is shared after you register.) Send me a message on Instagram, or to shayma@thespicespoon.com to register and secure your spot! 

Cost $95

Menu (vegetarian option available)

*Borani-e-Labu—roasted beet and walnut dip, flatbread from my local Persian bakery

*Tahdig—Persian crispy saffron-crust rice

*Khoresht-e-Morgh—saffron, dried lime and chicken stew (vegetarian substitute available)

*Mast-o-Khiar—Persian cucumber, mint and rose petal yoghurt sauce

*Roasted Ontario plum pudding (or pears, depending on what is available at the farmer’s market that week) with vanilla bean ice cream—cardamom, pistachio dust and maple syrup

Workshop Goals:

*Work in in a small, intimate group of 6 to prepare and assemble the dishes

*Learn the basics about cuisine from this part of the world

*Enjoy a family-style meal

*Leave with a booklet of these family recipes

*And most importantly, enjoy a lovely Saturday afternoon, chatting and eating with others who adore food from Iran.

Vegetable Fritters in the Pakistani Manner

Those of you who know me, know that anything fried–salty, crunchy, savoury–is my weakness. These golden, crackly treats are a nod to all the pakoras I ate as a child with my family in Lahore–sliced potatoes coated in a spicy batter, fried till crispy and golden, dunked in mint chutney, and served alongside cups of cardamom-scented chai. The pakoras I made today are also inspired by latkes, with the addition of verdant herbs, earthy cumin, and carrot and zucchini, to add a dimension of sweetness.

I love these cumin-fragrant fritters with globs of Stonewall Kitchen’s Roasted Garlic Aioli, which is creamy and sharp–perfect when paired with a glass of chilled rosé on a Friday night in.

What I love about Stonewall Kitchen is their story–how they started out making jams in their home, writing labels by hand and selling the jars at their local farmer’s market. I hope you’ll try their delicious condiments with my fritter recipe. I have tasted almost 10 of their condiments, and there are two others I adore–Chipotle Ketchup, which is sweet and spicy; and Sriracha Aioli, sweet, tangy and fiery. I served these fritters with all 3 Stonewall Kitchen Condiments–they are so simple to use.

The Chipotle Ketchup reminds me of the chilli-garlic sauce we get in Pakistan. Fiery, sweet, tangy. Perfect for dunking your crispy, hot fritter into.

These fritters are gluten-free and vegan (you can use the Chipotle Ketchup instead of the two aiolis, if you want a vegan condiment to pair it with).

This post was sponsored by Stonewall Kitchen. Views and recipe are my own.

Serves 4-6

Makes about 14-16 fritters

Ingredients:

*½ cup carrots, grated on the large holes of a box grater

*½ cup zucchini, grated on the large holes of a box grater

*½ cup potato, grated on the large holes of a box grater

*2 tablespoons shallot, finely chopped

*¼ teaspoon chilli pepper

*¾ teaspoon sea salt (I use Pakistani pink salt, marketed as Himalayan Salt)

*⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder

*1 teaspoon whole cumin seed

*2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped (leaves and stalks)

*1 tablespoon mint, julienned

*¾ cup chickpea flour (you can also use besan, which is roasted chickpea flour)

*½+¼ cup cold water, divided

Preparation: Combine all ingredients, except for water, in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix well to combine, ensuring that the chickpea flour has coated all the vegetables and herbs well. Add ½ cup of cold water and stir till it transforms into a thick batter. If it looks stiff, thin it out with one tablespoon of water at a time. Heat ½-inch of oil in a large skillet, on medium-high heat, to 350F degrees. Test the oil: a tiny drop of batter should sizzle. Working in batches, carefully drop the batter, tablespoon by tablespoon into the oil. Lightly tap to flatten each fritter. Fry about 60-90 seconds per side, until the fritters turn golden-brown and are cooked through. Remove the fritters from the oil and transfer them to a large platter lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter. Enjoy hot and sizzling.