baked eggs with cuban sofrito /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

on my long list of places i would love to travel to, Cuba is probably in the top 3.  my first introduction to anything Cuban was when my dad would play Buena Vista Social Club cassettes and cds.  and even though i couldn't understand what the singers were saying, i loved how the music sounded. there was a part of me that felt like i had a finger on the pulse of Cuba.  as i got older and learned more about Cuba's politics, it's social codes, and also of the island's beauty, i grew a deeper appreciation for its mystery and particular way of life.  i am hopeful that one day i will find myself there, but in the meantime, i live vicariously through a small Cuban restaurant (Cubana Cafe) in the neighborhood where we have become friendly with the owner and waitstaff.  i always tell frank that it's my happy place.  the music, the decor, the vibe, the food! ugh, the food!  i can never tire of their menu items, especially a mildly, spicy, jalapeno sauce served with fresh plantain chips.  frank and i (and our lacking palettes) tried to taste our way through the sauce to figure out its ingredients, but ended up asking the owner what the secret in the sauce was.  he gave us the 4 ingredients: tomato, onion, garlic, and jalapeno.  in an attempt to create something similar i made a quasi cuban sofrito.  and while it's not identical to it, it's a good replacement when i can't get my fix from Cubana Cafe.  

for this dish i used the corn tortillas from the other week.  however, any kind of tortilla or maleable flatbread will work here.  i could imagine using  naan, or pita bread.  also, i have made these baked eggs by sandwiching the eggs between the sofrito sauce; it adds a bonus layer of kick!  the sofrito recipe makes about 2 cups, so be sure to experiment with it.  it recently made its way into our dinner on top of baked fish.  it could also be used as a dip or as a taco or quesadilla topping, so have fun with it!

 

baked eggs with cuban sofrito

| makes 4

4 corn tortillas

4 organic eggs

1/2 cup sofrito

1 avocado, pitted and sliced

1 bunch cilantro, washed and stemmed

fine grain sea salt

ancho chile powder to taste

for the sofrito:

| makes ~2 cups

4 plum tomatoes

1/2 of one onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

1/8 teaspoon pinch fine grain sea salt (or salt to taste)

pinch of ground cumin

instructions

make the sofrito

  • pre heat oven to broil.  line too small jelly roll pans with parchment paper or tin foil
  • place the tomatoes and jalapeno on one baking sheet and broil for about 5-7 minutes.  using tongs, flip the tomatoes and jalapeno over and broil for another 5-7 minutes; until the skins are charred, and tomatoes are split.  remove from oven and let cool until they are ready to handle by hand
  • turn the oven temperature down to 400°.  lightly coat the tin foil lined jelly roll pan with olive oil, place onion and garlic on, bake for about 15-20 minutes; until onion edges are charred, and garlic is soft.  remove from oven and let cool slightly
  • peel and core the tomatoes; place in food processor.  cut the jalapeno in 3 pieces; place one piece in processor (remove seeds if you don't want it as spicy).  peel the garlic and place in the food processor with the onions.  pulse in the cilantro, salt, and cumin.  process until pureed.  refrigerate in an air tight container until ready to use (can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks)

make the eggs

  • pre heat the oven to 350°
  • gently place tortillas inside the ramekins (i threw my tortillas in the microwave to soften them so they wouldn't crack or break); crack an egg into each tortilla-lined ramekin and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven.  bake until whites of eggs are set, about 15-20 minutes (rotating halfway through) 
  • remove from oven and top with a healthy amount of sofrito, sliced avocado, cilantro, salt and a sprinkle of ancho chile powder

eat immediately, and enjoy! 

baked squash blossoms with pine nut cheese /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

edible flowers, squash blossoms and nasturtium among a few, grace us with their company each spring and summer.  there's something about delicate squash blossoms that are so beautiful.  maybe i find then curious because the plant that grows them is so large and prickly, and produces something so delicate.  

i tried my hand at stuffing and frying squash blossoms a couple of times last year.  they turned out great.  but this year i was yearning for a something a little less fried, so i decided to bake them instead.  i wasn't sure how they would turn out, if the cheese would ooze it's way out of the flower cavity and burn on the baking sheet, or if they would never crisp-up and just be a soggy mess.  the result was better than i was anticipating.    lightly browned, crispy, with a slightly nutty flavor.

because the cheese i used to stuff the flowers is nut-based, it did not contain as much moisture as dairy-based cheese would.  if you are planning on using a dairy-based cheese, such as ricotta, i would drain it through a cheese cloth for about 30 minutes prior to using and then blending the herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper by hand.  i don't see a need to mustard, cider, lemon juice, or water to a dairy-based mixture.  

baked squash blossoms with pine nut cheese

serve these as an appetizer, side dish, or even on top of a bowl of greens.  these are best when served hot and right out of the oven.   

| makes 10 stuffed blossoms

10 squash blossoms, rinsed and stamens removed (the fuzzy yellow part inside the bloom) 

1 tablespoon olive oil

large grain sea salt

for the cheese: 

 

adapted from The First Mess  

 

1/2 cup pine nuts, soaked in hot water for at least 2 hours

1 1/2 teaspoon good dijon mustard (i use Maille) 

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice  

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons (about 10 leaves) fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed

pinches of fine grain sea salt to taste

couple turns fresh ground pepper

 

 

instructions

  • in a food processor, combine soaked pine nuts, mustard, water, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. blend, scraping down the sides of the processor.  taste, add salt and pepper according to your preference.  scoop into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (i made mine the day before.  letting the "cheese" rest allows the flavors to really come together. if you don't have the time, by all means use right away, it will still taste awesome!)
  • pre heat oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • rinse and let squash blossoms air dry.  using a small knife, make a slit on one side.  cut the stamen from the inside of the flower (hard yellow fuzzy stem inside the flower)
  • using a tiny spoon (you can also use a piping bag), fill each flower.  i used about 2 healthy spoonfuls for each flower
  • twist the end of the flower to close.  place the flowers on your baking sheet.  using a pastry brush, lightly coat each flower with olive oil (bottoms too), and sprinkle them with large grain sea salt  
  • bake at 400° for 10 minutes checking them halfway through.  my oven is a little funky so i ended up baking them for 10 minutes on 400° and then turning up the heat to 425° for another 5 minutes to get them nice and crispy.  in the end you want them a nice golden brown, so anywhere between 10-15 minutes should do it in any normal oven :)

enjoy! 

homemade corn tortillas /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i'm not sure where the inspiration to make homemade tortillas came from (especially since i don't have a tortilla press, which makes the whole process a lot easier) , but as soon as i discovered the how doable the tortilla-making-process was, i was sold!  i decided to use bob's red mills masa harina  because it's what was available to me at my local grocery store.  however, after reading this article i will be sure to buy blue corn masa harina.  in any event, the tortilla making session started off like any good project: on the living room floor.  it's the largest one area we have in our little apartment, and i wanted room to make a mess!  (don't worry, there were plenty of towels, and bowls, and mats between the tortilla ingredients and the floor.)  

as i sat there and mixed the 3 ingredients it takes to make these tortillas, i thought how wonderfully simple and gratifying it was to literally sit with my ingredients and work them with my hands.  it reminded me when i was in the 4th grade.  we were learning about native american cultures, and one of our class projects was to make tortilla chips.  i recalled doing something similar: sitting on the floor, with less than a handful of ingredients, and working those few ingredients by hand; grinding our corn into masa, by using a mortar and pestle.  i remember thinking how awesome is was making something in today's time, that a native culture made hundreds of years ago.  that thought came back to me as i sat on my living room floor.  take away the tv, couch, air conditioner, camera, and cell phone, and imagined i was making my tortillas in a much less technologically stimulated time.  if only for a couple of minutes.   

do not be intimidated by the lengthy process of these making tortillas, if you have the time they are definitely worth making.  if you have a tortilla press, the process is a little easier and a lot shorter.  and lastly, if you want to decrease the amount of time you're spending rolling each tortilla out, cut each ball into 4 pieces instead of 8, and make larger tortillas.  tortillas lend themselves to so may awesome things, plus these corn ones are gluten free!

homemade corn tortillas

technique adapted from Bob's Red Mills & Edible Perspective

| makes 16 small tortillas

ingredients

2 cups masa harina

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups hot water

equipment: 

  • parchment paper
  • rolling pin (you will not need this if you have a tortilla press)
  • round, flat bottomed baking dish or bowl (i used my tea kettle [if you have a tortilla press, skip this] )  

 

 

instructions

  • in a large bowl, combine the masa harina and salt with a whisk.  add 1 cup of the hot water - stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine
  • at this point you will notice that the dough is sticking to the spoon; set the spoon aside and use your hands; work the dough for about 2 minutes - until it's soft and springy.  if your dough is dry and crumbly, add hot water a tablespoon at a time until you have reached a smooth dough (i ended up using about 1 1/4 cup of water, but it depends on the weather and conditions in your house- no two doughs are alike)  
  • form the dough into a ball, cover with a tea towel and let it rest for about a 1-2 hours

while you're waiting for the dough, prepare by getting your parchment paper ready.  you will need: 2, 8x8" pieces for rolling the dough, and 16, 6" pieces to prevent the uncooked tortillas from sticking to one another.  set aside.

  • uncover your dough and cut into two evenly sized pieces - form into two balls.  cut each ball into 4 even pieces and then divide the into eighths.  in the end you will have 16 pieces
  • if the outer part of your dough was a little rough, like mine was, coat your hands with a little bit of water and roll the crescent shaped doughs into balls
  • as you roll, cover the balls with your towel to prevent them from drying out
  • one at a time, roll out each piece of dough between the 8x8 pieces of parchment, roll to about an 1/8" thickness.  gently remove the top piece of parchment; take one of your 16 smaller pieces of parchment, place on top of tortilla, invert and gently peel the larger piece off the tortilla.  repeat with remaining tortillas, stacking them on top of one another as you go along 

 

  • heat a dry skillet to a medium heat.  one at a time place the tortillas on the skillet and cook for 45 seconds - 1 minute (my sweet spot was just around 47/48 seconds), until they're slightly browned (be careful not to overcook them, as they will tear or become crunchy when you try to roll them.)
  • remove tortilla and place a towel over to keep warm; repeat with remaining tortillas
  • you can use them right away, or refrigerate them for up to a week in an air tight container

there are endless ways to use these tortillas, so have fun and enjoy!