Beautiful fresh leeks are in abundance this time of year. Usually I turn them into soup or use them instead of onions, but I decided to try them on their own. Should have done this a long time ago, they are easy to prepare this way and they seem quite fancy.

I used two donor recipes from the NY Times, but both seemed overly complicated and fussy for no good reason. But here they are for reference:

1) https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014447-classic-leeks-vinaigrette?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page&region=all&rank=2

2) https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019000-leeks-vinaigrette-with-sieved-egg?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page&region=all&rank=3

The proportions below will make 2 appetizer or 1 main portion, but can easily be scaled up. Next time I will double it to have leftovers.

Ingredients

• 2 medium leeks
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp + 1 TB olive oil
• 1 TB Dijon mustard
• 1 TB red wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 TB capers

Directions

1. Trim the leeks, and wash them well, soak to remove all sand, split open to expose the hidden sand inside. Drain well and cut into thirds.
2. Heat a pot of water to boiling, season generously with salt, the peppercorns, bay leaf, and 1 tsp olive oil
3. Gently add the eggs to the water, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the leeks to the water and bring back to a boil. Simmer for 8 minutes until tender.
5. While the leeks are cooking, make the vinaigrette: smash the capers, and whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard.
6. Drain the leeks well, and add to the sauce.
7. Cool and shell the egg, and coarsely chop. Add to leeks and stir well to mix.

I’ve mentioned in the past that I’ve never really been a big fan of traditional shakshuka. But I made a simple version today that was really good. The big difference is I started with fresh tomatoes, which cooked down to make a dense and flavourful sauce, without losing the freshness.

Ingredients

•  2 eggs
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 Serrano pepper
• 1-2 clove garlic, optional
• 2-4 TB Pomi chopped tomatoes, optional

Directions

1. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and put in the container of an immersion blender.
2. Trim and remove the seeds from the peppers, then coarsely chop and add to the tomatoes along with the garlic.
3. Using the immersion blender, puree until smooth. Or use a food processor, or a blender. Pulse if you prefer the sauce a bit chunky.
4. Heat a small frying pan (8″), and pour in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. It will be quite liquid at first, cook over high heat for several minutes while stirring occasionally to reduce until it starts to thicken.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes if using, or 1-2 TB tomato paste, stir well and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce is thick enough to make two depressions to hold the eggs.
6. Carefully crack the eggs into the depression, reduce heat to medium, and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to cook the tops of the eggs.
7. Remove the cover and cook for another minute or two until the egg whites are fully set, but the yolks are still a bit runny.
8. Plate the eggs, and spoon the remaining sauce over the top. Garnish sparsely with a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of za’atar, salt and pepper, cumin, and sumac.
9. Serve with warm pita or flour tortillas, or just eat plain for low-carb, the sauce is hearty enough to stand on its own.

A lighter low-carb and vegetarian version of the classic dish, but if you don’t care about those things, you’d never know it.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch spinach
• 2 portobello mushroom caps
• 1 TB butter
• 2 TB Neufchâtel or light cream cheese
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1-2 TB grated Parmesan or Romano
• 2-4 oz shredded Swiss gruyere
• 2 eggs
• 1 beefsteak tomato
• Olive oil
• Cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. First, prepare the spinach mixture, which is the most complicated part of the dish.
   I prefer mature fresh whole spinach for this, as it has more flavour, but you could also use a bag of pre-washed baby spinach for convenience.
   Trim the spinach and remove the stems, keeping only the leaves.
   Wash the spinach well, if sandy you’ll need to fully submerge, swish it around, then lift out of the water, and repeat. If you pour the water out leaving the spinach behind, the sand will get right back into it.
   Spin dry in a salad spinner, or drain well and blot with a paper towel to keep from getting too soggy.
   Once clean and dry, coarsely chop up the spinach. If using frozen or bagged spinach, you can skip all of the above and jump down to here.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the spinach. If it doesn’t all fit, add half and stir for 30 seconds until it starts to wilt and makes room for the rest.
3. Stir in the cream cheese, season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, Parmesan, and half of the shredded cheese. Cook it down until you have a nice smooth mixture, the spinach is tender, and the cheese fully melted. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Prepare the mushroom caps by drizzling with olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Broil a couple of minutes on each side until they just start to brown and soften, but still retain their shape.
5. Slice the tomato to extract two thick slices from the center. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil for 1-2 minutes to warm up (to save time, add to oven when you flip the mushrooms).
6. Eggs: Heat a shallow saucepan with generously salted boiling water, add a splash of vinegar, and keep at a gentle simmer. Swirl the water with a slotted spoon to create a whirlpool, and carefully break an egg into the center. Poach for 3 minutes, then remove and drain. Repeat with the second egg.
7. Assembly: Start with the mushroom cap, with the top facing down on the plate, so it can be stuffed. Add a slice of tomato, then a generous heap of the spinach, and top with the egg, then garnish with the reserved shredded cheese.

These things are wonderful, and lately have dropped in price to almost the same as a regular full size chicken, but so much more fun. A really easy way to make a mundane chicken meal into a fancy feast. They are sometimes called Rock Game Hens, or Cornish Hens, or variations of the above. There is probably some technical difference, but at this point they are used interchangeably to mean “small chicken”. I have also not researched to lean how they relate to the French poussin or the Israeli paragiot. Just get the frozen ones by Purdue and move on.

Ingredients

• 1 Cornish hen
• 1-2 TB poultry seasoning spice mix
• juice of one orange
• 1-2 TB butter
• 2-3 TB orange marmalade (and/or apricot preserves)
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
• chopped fresh rosemary and/or thyme

Directions

1. For best results, brine first if you have the time. This has the advantage of defrosting while it soaks, and because they are small you can do it all in a medium bowl in the fridge overnight. Any brine solution for poultry will work fine, or just dump in some kosher salt and cover with water and toss in a couple of bay leaves, cloves, a stick of cinnamon, and peppercorns and leave overnight.

2. Remove from the brine a few hours before cooking, pat dry, and refrigerate uncovered until ready to cook so it can air dry further, which results in nice crispy skin.

3. If not brining/drying, you can start from this step. Using a heavy knife or poultry shears, spatchcock the bird by cutting down along the backbone, and splay open to butterfly.

4. Season liberally on both sides with your favorite poultry seasoning mix (e.g. Bells or rubbed sage, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper)
5. Roast in a preheated 450°F oven for about 25 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
6. While it roasts, make the sauce: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and marmalade with the garlic until bubbly, then stir in the mustard, orange juice, and seasonings. Bring back to a simmer and reduce slightly. If too tart, add some honey.

7. After 20 minutes of cooking, remove bird from oven, and baste well with the sauce, then return and finish cooking for a few more minutes.

Cooked bird, before adding sauce:

The sauce will bubble and reduce when it hits the hot pan.