harissa

February 4, 2021 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

there are lots of moving parts over here at the moment because we’re moving to the valley! we found a house to rent (don’t even get me started about the prices of houses - pre-pandemic, but especially during COVID, so renting it is!), and while it will be a shift in a lot of ways, i know the space and backyard will make the boys so happy. i’m sad to let this little home on the border of silverlake and echo park go - this is where we brought joey home, where we learned the sound of his giggle, his every little developmental marker happened here. these walls have kept us safe and sane, and nurtured our little family. if you haven’t noticed, i’m very sentimental, so perhaps this move will be harder for me than the boys. but i know wherever we go, we will make it ours and and plant roots for this next phase of our lives.

we move in a week from today, with nothing packed yet, mind you. so in the spirit of cooking easy, accessible meals, i wanted to share this “breakfast for dinner” recipe that is simple, yet so delicious.

we start with socca - a chickpea flour-based flatbread/pancake. we add grated garlic, and nigella seeds (which are completely optional) to flavor it up. then some quick fried eggs, leafy herbs, and the simplest harissa oil to drizzle over everything. add some flaky salt and you got yourself a filling, tasty meal. you could certainly add what you like for a side, or a more substantial salad, more fried eggs - sky’s the limit!

big heartfelt hugs this february, xo!

garlicky socca w/ fried eggs, herbs & harissa oil | gf & df

| makes 3 servings |

print the recipe

notes:

i understand that nigella seeds aren’t found in many stores, but you could replace them with black mustard seeds (or even yellow), black sesame seeds would be good in a pinch, too.

ingredients

harissa oil

1 tablespoon harissa paste (i use ny shuk)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

garlicky socca

1 cup chickpea flour
1 tablespoon nigella seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
fresh pepper, to taste
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane or minced with a sharp knife

fried eggs

avocado oil, for cooking
3 large pasture-raised eggs
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup mixed leafy herbs (dill, chives, basil, cilantro)
flaky salt

method

make the harissa oil. in small bowl, whisk together the harissa paste and oil until combined. set aside. (the paste will fall if it’s been sitting, so before serving, give it a good whisk.)
make the socca. place three 8-inch cast iron skillets in the middle of your oven (if you don’t have 3 skillets, use one large 12-inch cast iron skillet, or use one 8-inch skillet a few times). turn oven to 450°F.
while your oven is heating make the socca batter. in a bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, nigella seeds, salt, and pepper. whisk in the water, oil, and garlic, and mix until combined. let batter sit at least 20 minutes to hydrate.
remove hot skillets from oven. swirl in 2 teaspoons oil in each skillet (if using 1 large skillet, use 2 tablespoons oil), and divide batter between them (about 1/2 cup of batter each). quickly place them back in the oven and cook until edges are lightly browned, about 12-14 minutes.
while socca is cooking, fry the eggs. heat a large skillet over medium heat. once hot spray with avocado oil. crack eggs into the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until yolks and whites are set.
remove socca from the oven and top with fried eggs, herbs, and harissa oil. season with flaky salt and serve.

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breakfast for dinner: “cream cheese” omelettes w/ balsamic greens

HARISSA HUMMUS / August 28, 2020 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

closing out august with one of my very favorite things: hummus. this time around we’re adding a healthy dose of fiery harissa paste. harissa varies widely, but it’s a spicy-smoky aromatic chile paste. typically harissa is made from a blend of fresh or dried chiles, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice; and spices such as: caraway, cumin, and coriander. it’s bright and a bit fiery, and just a little adds so much to such an array of meals.

this harissa hummus was inspired by one of mine and frank’s favorite spots we would frequent often in brooklyn: sahadi’s. we would go there almost every weekend to pick up their spicy hummus, mujedara, and some grocery items. but that hummus, guys. it was the highlight to the weekend. we would bring it to our local park, louis valentino on a breezy summer night and watch the sun set behind the statue of liberty. so while i can’t replicate that park or the view we once had, but i can make a hummus that comes pretty close to sahadi’s spicy hummus.

we essentially start by making a batch of my sunflower seed hummus (you can use a typical chickpea-based hummus recipe if that’s what you prefer). from there, we simply add a few teaspoons of harissa paste (this is my favorite), and blend it all up. it gives the hummus a beautiful muted orange color that i like to jazz up with toppings. i usually go with chopped herbs, toasted sesame seeds, harissa oil, and a good couple pinches of flaky salt. serve it up with some gluten-free pita bread and you’ll be one happy camper. ❤️

big end-of-summer hugs!

harissa hummus | gf & v

print the recipe

| makes roughly 1 1/2 cups |

this hummus recipe uses sunflower seeds. however, if you can tolerate beans/legumes you can use this classic recipe, or this mung bean recipe and add the amount of harissa pasta indicated below.
i like serving this with warm gluten-free pita bread, but cool crisp veggies are just as good, too :)
as for harissa paste, you can certainly make your own. but if you want to purchase it, i highly suggest ny shuk, it’s the best. you can also find a good one on the east side of LA at cookbook in echo park.

ingredients

1 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 3 hours, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup tahini
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons harissa paste
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
freshly cracked pepper
1/3 -1/2 cup water, to thin

toppings (optional):

chopped dill
toasted sesame seeds
harissa oil*
flaky sea salt

method

add the sunflower seeds, tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons harissa, garlic, salt, a few cracks of pepper, and 1/3 cup water to the container of a high-speed blender (preferably a vitamix). whiz everything together on high, scraping down the sides of the blender as you go. add more water as needed to get everything blended and smooth, making sure the hummus is uniform in color.
once it's blended to your desired consistency (i tend to like it a bit on the fluffy, silkier side), taste and adjust the lemon juice, harissa, and salt if needed.
spoon the hummus into a bowl. top with a few sprigs of dill, toasted sesame seeds, harissa oil, and flaky salt, if you’re not eating it right away, scrape the hummus into an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. take out of the refrigerator 1 hour before serving so it’s not too cold.

*harissa oil:

whisk together 1/2 - 1 teaspoon harissa paste with 2 tablespoons olive oil. taste and adjust, adding more oil or harissa paste as needed.

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Salty Smashed Potatoes w/ Harissa Yogurt / June 7, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Salty Smashed Potatoes w/ Harissa Yogurt Sauce | Dolly and Oatmeal

i think we can unequivocally say: potatoes are life. especially this time of year. around mid-june, back on the east coast, would be the beginning of new potato season. my favorite farm stand, fishkill farms at our tiny brooklyn farmers market had the best little taters, second only to the csa potatoes my mom would get from stone barns farm. every week we looked forward to roasting them plain with a bit of salt & pep, grilling them kebab-style with red onions, or making a potato salad. but in all that time, i never tried a smashed version. a couple weeks ago, frank and i had a very casual memorial day celebration at our place, and i made smashed potatoes for the first time! and now i'm kind of obsessed with them. so much so, i have a few notes/technique tips for you to making these potatoes the very best.

let's get started:

to start, choose your potatoes wisely. I would advise to use fresh, market potatoes, simply because they taste the best. you also want to keep them whole when you boil them, so the little to medium ones work best.

next, i tried 3 different techniques in smashing them: using the bottom of a glass - this worked, but didn't make the potatoes craggy enough. getting as many craggy surfaces allows for a lot of crunchy bits - which is key. using the bottom of a baking sheet - while this is a great way to smash them if you're low on time, it still doesn't' produce a craggy enough surface (for me). using a fork - i used a couple different forks, and what i found best was a large serving fork. the potatoes are quite tender at the point when you're smashing them, so i found that a large fork, with a good amount of space between each prong worked the best. and, drum roll, they produced the very best craggy, crunchy tops! take away: use a serving fork!

another find. this might be controversial, but we're gonna roll with it. i know there's all sorts of scientific studies/research that you should really use high heat oil when cooking above 350°F, and i usually do, but i really couldn't get down with the flavor of avocado oil on these babes. so! i used extra virgin olive oil for that perfect flavor.

serve them immediately. they're best when served straight out of the oven. i wouldn't recommend this as a make-ahead dish. you can reheat them, but they're kinda not the same (similar to reheating french fries, ya know?). and that it on my notes!

one more thing, i served these with a simple harissa yogurt sauce, which adds creamy, spicy, cool elements to the mix that just give you just about everything you need. but could definitely eat them plain, with vegan sour cream, maybe some kite hill cream cheese, yogurt-tahini sauce, etc., etc.!

happy june, lovelies!! xo

salty smashed potatoes w/ harissa yogurt | v & gf

to note, the harissa paste i used had preserved lemon in it. so, if you're using a homemade or store-bought harissa, with no lemon juice, i would suggest adding a squeeze into the sauce.
all other recipe notes can be found above! :)

PRINT THE RECIPE!

| serves 4 |

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
flaky sea salt
fresh ground pepper

harissa yogurt (makes extra)

5 ounces dairy-free (plain, unsweetened) greek-style yogurt (preferably this brand)
2 tablespoons harissa paste (this is my favorite brand)
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 garlic clove, grated
fine sea salt
fresh ground pepper
chopped parsley and dill, for garnish (optional)

method

place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. turn the heat down to a simmer. cook the potatoes until just tender (use a sharp knife to pierce a potato, if it sticks a bit but can easily slide off the knife they're ready), checking at the 10 minute mark, if they're not tender, continue to cook, checking after a couple of minutes under tender.
while the potatoes are cooking, mix together the yogurt, harissa, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. taste and add more maple syrup if needed. cover, and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
drain the potatoes, then let them dry a clean dish towel.
preheat the oven to 450°F. line 2 baking sheets with parchments paper, and grease with a good drizzle of olive oil; use your hands to distribute it evenly. place the potatoes on the oiled pans, about 1-2 inches apart. use a large fork (notes above) to gently smash the potatoes down.
pour the remaining oil into a dish, use a pastry brush to brush the tops and sides. sprinkle with chopped parsley, flaky sea salt, and a few cracks of pepper.
bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until browned and crisp. remove from the oven and sprinkle with more parsley, and some dill sprigs.
serve immediately with the harissa yogurt sauce.