This is a disclaimer, if you are extremely offended about quiche bashing, please close this blog. Ok all joking aside I love a quiche just as much as the next person, however I was pretty sure if I had to eat another quiche for Christmas breakfast/brunch I may throw something. Don't get me wrong usually mimosas can help with my aggression, but this year we wanted to do something a little difference.



So my Mom found this recipe in Sunset magazine for Green Shakshouka and the rest is history. If you are as unfamiliar with Shakshouka as I was up until yesterday let me tell you a little bit about it. Shakshouka, which can also be spelled shakshuka or chakchouka is a Middle Eastern or North African dish with poached eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers and onions. However, this recipe, according to Sunset was of the North African variety.

For our Christmas brunch, this was truly the perfect dish as we had at least two vegetarians at the table and we wanted something easy, flavorful and lets be honest...we wanted some good comfort hangover food because our big celebration is on Christmas Eve. Somehow, I got elected to be the chef. Thankfully my Mom was a lifesaver yet again...story of my life...as she had prepped everything for me and I just had to cook.

To begin with, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (for the record my Mom even turned on the oven for me). Chop the chard, keeping the leaves and stems separate. As a side note, we used a combination of chard, spinach and kale from my Moms garden because she can grow stuff whereas I did not get that gene and I kill everything.





Next, toast the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds in a frying pan until fragrant. The recipe says 1-2 minutes, however I found that it took a little bit longer for me. I am not sure if my heat was lower, my sniffer was bad or it just took longer.

Grind the seeds using a mortar and pestle and add the smoked paprika, chile flakes, pepper and cardamom. Set aside. Set a 9x13 pan in the pre-heated oven to heat.

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add onion and chopped stems, cook until golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, jalapeno and spices. Add half the greens and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the greens.

Stir in tomato sauce, chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, 5-7 minutes or until greens are tender.

Set aside 3 T feta cheese, 1T parsley and 1T cilantro. Stir the rest into the greens.

Arrange greens in preheated pan. Nestle eggs into greens. Bake until egg whites are just set. The recipe says 12-18 minutes, however we found it to be closer to the 18 minute mark. Scatter with feta, cilantro and parsley.

Here is the actual recipe:

1 3/4 pounds mixed winter greens (such as kale, spinach, and Swiss chard), rinsed well, water shaken off

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon each coriander and fennel seeds

1 teaspoon each smoked paprika and red chile flakes

1/4 teaspoon each freshly ground pepper and cardamom

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large jalapeño chile, seeded and diced

1 1/4 cups (12 oz.) tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

7 ounces feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, divided

12 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375°. Remove stems and large ribs from greens and finely chop; set aside. Coarsely chop leaves and set aside.

When I selected this recipe I had no idea that the "roast," portion of the recipe title was referring to what this recipe would do to my house. As many of you know I recently moved and with moving comes some joyful adjustments! For example, running into the wall as you get up to go to the restroom in the middle of the night because you have forgotten that the bed to bathroom location has changed. Or being told after you sign the lease that there is a bear, like a real bear, that lives in the greenbelt behind your house. Um say what!!

And last night brought about another learning experience dealing with smoke detectors. And in case you were concerned about my fire safety, fear not!! Because last night I tested those bad boys...not just once....nope not even just twice....but three times!! I am safe!! And my chiles were well roasted. For the record, I did not burn them, but when the recipe calls for roasting the chiles in the broiler with the door open...just don't...unless you want a billowing cloud of dark chili flavored smoke taking over your house and making you cough uncontrollably. Good times!!



So as you guessed it step one in this recipe involves roasting the poblano chiles. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet, put them in the boiler and roast until blackened 7-8 minutes, with the door open if you are following the recipe. However, in my experience I would recommend closing the door and if you do they may take a little longer to roast, but in the long run it will save you a lot of pain and suffering. Once they are roasted, place in a bowl and cover until they are cool enough that you can touch them.



Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the turkey and break into pieces, cooking for approximately 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cumin, chile powder, oregano and cinnamon. I liked the hint of cinnamon in this recipe, it gave it a nice addition without being too overpowering.


Add the onion and garlic to the turkey mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, the beans, hominy and cornmeal. Add some hot sauce and simmer. On a side note, I used pinto beans, but the recipe said that great northern beans could be used as an alternative.


At first, I thought adding cornmeal to my chili sounded a bit odd, however when I googled it I discovered that it can be used as a thickening agent. And it worked well in this recipe.


Once the poblano peppers have cooled, peeled the skin and it should come off very easily if charred correctly. Next chop 2 peppers and add to the chili mixture.

Place the other 3 peppers in a food processor and puree with salt, pepper, chicken stock, cilantro and lime.






Add to the chili and continue to simmer until thickened slightly, 4-5 minutes.

The chili can be served with cheese, sour cream, radishes, onion, pickled jalapenos, toasted pumpkin seeds or pretty much anything else you want to toss on top. The sky is the limit and who am I to take away from your creativity?

Here is the actual recipe:

Ingredients:
5 large poblano peppers
2 T olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
salt and pepper
1 T ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
3 cups chicken stock
1 can pinto or great northern beans (14.5oz), drained
1 can hominy (15oz), drained
3 T cornmeal
Tabasco or mild hot sauce
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced

Toppings: Sour cream, toasted pumpkin seeds, radishes, chopped onion, crumbled cheese or pickled jalapenos

1. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the poblanos on a rimmed baking sheet and broil with the door ajar until the skins are blackened, turning once 7-9 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover and let cool.
2. Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over high. Add the oil, two turns of the pan. Add the turkey and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cumin, chile powder, oregano and cinnamon. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups stock, the beans, hominy and cornmeal; season the chili with Tabasco and reduce the heat to a simmer.
3. Peel and seed the poblanos. Chop 2 poblanos into bite size pieces or strips. Coarsely chop the remaining 3 poblanos and place in a food processor; season with salt and add the remaining 1 cup of stock, the cilantro and lime juice. Pulse a few times to finely chop, then process into a thick puree. Add to the chili and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Serve the chili from the skillet into shallow bowls and top with toppings.

I thought this chili had a lot of great flavor and it wasn't too spicy or too bland. The roasted poblanos made for a smoky flavor and as I mentioned above the hint of cinnamon gave it a nice diverse flavor profile. This is a recipe that is even better leftover and it is just straight up coze for these chilly winter evenings...well since I am back in Cali...I guess a little less chilly than last winter in the Mitten, but still a little brrr cold. Cheers my friends and enjoy every moment of this holiday season!!