Jalapenos in oil

I have been addicted to jalapenos preserved in oil ever since I had it at my friend Pady and Jay’s beautiful home in Cairo. It’s such a joy when the hubby’s get into action and come out with some really amazing, yet so simple discoveries that we relish all through. Pady and Jay, both are amazing chefs with a passion for cooking and everything that’s beautiful around them.

This condiment has been a must have in my pantry, since then. I always have one bottle aged and another one in the process of aging. One can use this in a plethora of ways, over Bruschetta, in sauces, as a garnish, in dips, while cooking, over eggs to name a few. On a plain toasted bread, oh my It’s heavenly! The oil infused with delicate hint of spice from jalapeno and garlic and a tartness from the lime adding to the party, it just seems like a perfect amalgamation.

A simple preserve, gets done in no time if you have all the ingredients at hand. All you need is some fresh, plump, juicy jalapenos and rest all are from the pantry. I had a good harvest of Jalapenos in my garden and decided to make a jar of this beauty. All I did was, few months ago while deseeding the jalapenos, I scattered some in a pot and within weeks I had a couple of them germinating and now I have a constant supply of Jalapenos at home. You could try that too 🙂 So lets get started with making your own bottle of this versatile preserve that you ll love to use, over and over again.

Ingredients:

6-8 fresh red jalapenos
Garlic, peeled and sliced, half a cup
juice of half lemon
Salt to taste
Extra virgin Olive oil, 1 cup
Clean, dry and sterilized bottle to mix them all up and store

Method:

Wash and pat dry the jalapenos, deseed them by slitting into half, lengthwise and chop them to bite size (approximately a cup of chopped jalapenos)
Slice peeled garlic and keep aside (approximately half a cup).
Take a jar and start to put all the ingredients one after the other. (jalapenos, garlic, lime juice, and salt).
Pour the oil over the ingredients in the bottle, give it a nice mix.
Close the bottle with a tight lid.
Store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, for the flavours to get infused. and then, the preserve is ready to use.
You can store it in your pantry at room temperature for 2-3 months or even more (depending on the humidity and weather at your location). If it doesn’t get over in a month or two, it may get a bit soft but it’s still good to use and relish.
Ensure that there’s always a layer of oil on top to preserve.
Enjoy the Jalapeno preserved in oil as you desire.

A jar of Jalapenos in oil, ready to be relished

Tunisian Ojja

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Ojja to me was love at first bite. It was at a get together at my gorgeous Tunisian German friend Ines and her Egyptian hubby Sherif’s home in Cairo that I fell in love with Ojja. Bursting with tangy flavours of tomatoes, a mild heat from Harissa and a perfectly balanced spice mix Tabelkouria, all blending in together with eggs in oil. That’s how I would describe Ojja. And during one of our cooking mornings, Ines taught us friends to cook this in no time. Eversince then, this has been a regular at home, equally loved by all. A truly verstaile dish, can be whipped up with no extra efforts and served as a dip with Pita bread, over crackers, in sandwiches and pairs well with chapathi too. A definite show stopper in your party menu !

This recipe calls for two flavours from North Africa, Harissa and TebelKarouia , popularly known as Tabil. Living in Egypt, Harissa was locally available in the stores but as we moved out of Egypt, the bottled ones weren’t as authentic as the North African ones. Very sweetly, Ines brought me some while we met a few years later but I had to learn to make it myself. So I looked up for recipes, mixed and matched a few to something that’s come quite close to the authentic Harissa. Now this recipe helps me make Ojja and also lends its magic to many other dishes. Tabil is a Tunisian spice blend with bursting flavours of corriander seeds, garlic, caraway seeds and chillies. With time, I discovered my own way of making Tabil at home, so now making Ojja is a breeze. Am sure, you will also fall in love with Ojja when you try it out!

Let’s dive into the recipe.

To make Ojja you will need:

1 whole garlic peeled, crushed or pressed
1 cup olive oil
7 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
6 eggs
1 tablespoon Harissa paste
1 tablespoon Tebelkarouia/Tabil spice mix
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Add everything except eggs in a saucepan with oil, over medium heat.
Let it simmer for a while, till the tomato paste gets into an even consistency.
Add 1 cup water, remove excess oil that floats on top.
Let it cook on medium heat for a while, covered with a mesh lid, till it reaches a creamy consistency, removing the oil that floats on the top.
Add half cup water and let it simmer further until an even creamy mixture is achieved.
Break in an egg at a time into the tomato mixture (do not mix).
Increase the heat/fire to high power and let it cook for a minute or two.
Lightly break the eggs, but do not scramble it. Let the whole mixture cook for few minutes (around 5 minutes). This helps give those little bites of cooked eggs in Ojja.
Let it cool and your delicious Ojja is ready to be served along with pita or crackers.
Enjoy your Ojja, paired with anything that you like !!

Fried Zucchini Flowers (Courgette/Squash flowers)

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Summer brings along beautiful summer flowers and summer squashes. I remember in my garden in Cairo home, every time Zucchini plant had blossoms our neighbor Michel would mention to harvest them to use it for cooking and would say they are incredibly delicious. But I never tried them until today, as this time I had plenty of zucchini blossoms at home.

Most often of times, the squash plants begin flowering with male flowers that do not bear fruits, so the best way is to fry these gentle flowers, with a delicate batter for an appetizer or use in soups, salads, crepes or as garnish.

To harvest these blossoms, the best time would be post mid day, after letting the bees spread the pollen. Pinch them behind the blossoms leaving a little bit of the stalk on it (female blossoms bear fruit right behind the flower).

Here in this recipe I have tried a beer batter fry, but am sure it will taste equally good with a regular fritters batter. Do try it out and enjoy the crispy crunchy and yet delicate and unique flavor of the blossoms.

This recipe is a quick and easy one and gets done in no time. So lets get started with it.

Ingredients:

8-10 zucchini blossoms ( or as many as you have/ want)
1/3 cup flour approximately
about 1/3rd cup of chilled beer or sparkling water (freshly opened)
1-2 tsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp crushed/powdered black pepper
salt to taste
oil (any flavorless oil) for shallow/pan frying

Flour, chili powder, crushed pepper and salt

Directions:

Clean the blossoms by removing the pistil of the flowers. It’s better to tear a little and open to ensure that no insects or dirt is inside. Then rinse them gently and dry on paper towel.
To make the beer batter, put the flour, chili powder, pepper powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
Pour the chilled beer/sparkling water into the flour, little at a time and whisk it well with a whisk or a fork until a thick consistency is reached.
Set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Heat little oil in a shallow pan.
Dip the flowers, gently one after the other until well coated and place them in the warm oil.
Cook on medium heat.
Fry until cooked on one side, then turn and continue cooking for few minutes until done on the other side.
Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.
Crispy and crunchy Zucchini flowers are ready.
Serve warm with sour cream or mayo dip.
Best eaten while still warm.