CHEF HRANT ARAKELIAN - HOLLAND HOUSE
Spring Shakshouka
(For two servings)
2 large farm eggs (or one per person)
1 cup loosely packed sliced mixed mushrooms (any will do but oysters, shiitake or a mix of wild mushrooms will be best)
2 cups sliced kale a mix of curly, red, and Siberian is nice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons greek yogurt
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ of a lemons worth of zest
1 yellow onion caramelized
1 Tablespoon Hazelnut Dukka spice (recipe follows)
drizzle of hot sauce (we use house made harissa same which is a spicy north african hot sauce)
a couple of slices of crusty bread or crackers per person
In a medium cast iron or heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat, (the dish will be served in what ever you cook it in), add the garlic and toast for a minute or until it becomes lightly brown, add the onions and mushrooms and cook for another minute or until the mushrooms soften a bit the add the kale and cook until wilted, add the cream, yogurt and lemon zest and stir to combine and melt the yogurt. Continue to heat the sauce until it starts to bubble a bit. make a well in the sauce and crack an egg in for each person, cover with a lid or inverted sauce pan, you want the cover to not fit too tightly so steam can escape other wise your egg will become all white and you won't see the beautiful yolk. Once the egg whites are all cooked and the egg yolk is set but still run remove from the heat and drizzle the hot sauce over followed by the hazelnut dukka spice. Serve with the bread. This makes a great appetizer or a vegetarian dinner.
This recipe adapts to other ingredients well, any kind of green will work, spinach, mustard, young turnip greens, and any type of mushrooms work well, but try to do some more flavorful ones since it gives the dish so much flavor. You can also use dried mushrooms that have been rehydrated in hot water if you can't find any fresh ones.
Hazelnut dukkah spice
½ cup toasted hazelnuts
8 tablespoons white sesame seeds
4 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
3 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
toast the whole spices until they become fragrant, in a spice grinder pulse the spices until smooth, then in a food processor combine all the ingredients and pulse until the nuts are broken down but still slightly chunky. Stores well in an airtight container for about a month in the spice cabinet. Great sprinkled on eggs and vegetables.
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