I was planning on making a cheese and avocado scramble for breakfast this morning. But, when we went to cut it open, the avocado had gone off. But I'd already cracked all the eggs. So I had to quickly pivot to something else. Luckily we had all the bits for this "Mexican scramble". And it was delicious! I actually liked it a lot better than I think I would have liked the avocado scramble.

It was meant to use a fresh tomato and then be topped with salsa and sour cream. But I decided to just leave the tomato out and stir the salsa directly into the eggs instead. We then just topped it with the sour cream alone. I was also a bit scant on the green onions, but it still came out very nice.

Mexican Scramble

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tsp. butter
• 4-8 green onions, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped (or 1/3 c. salsa)
• 3-4 Tbsp. sliced Kalamata olives
• 1 small (~100mL) can chopped green chilies
• 1/2-3/4 c. grated cheese (cheddar or monterey jack)
• salsa and/or sour cream, to serve

Directions

1. Beat the eggs with the milk, oregano, salt and pepper.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Pour in the eggs and cook for a minute or so.
4. Stir the eggs.
5. Add the green onions, tomato (or salsa), olives, and chilies and cook, stirring occasionally, for another few minutes.
6. Add the cheese and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the eggs are fully set.
7. Serve with salsa and sour cream (and, optionally, toast).

Spanish Peppers with Olives and Capers

This was a great side dish and complemented the halibut dish that I'd made to go with it nicely. It was very simple to make. And I loved the flavours of the olives and capers with it. Lovely!

Photo goes here.

Spanish Peppers iwht Olives and Capers

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 900g bell peppers (red, yellow, and/or orange), cut into 4cm pieces
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 c. sherry or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. pitted and chopped green olives
• 1 Tbsp. capers, drained

Directions

1. Warm the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened (2-3 minutes).
3. Add the peppers, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened (~8 minutes).
4. Add the vinegar, olives, and capers and cook until liquid has mostly evaporated (~2 more minutes).

This recipe was really meant to be done with skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces. You're supposed to start with a whole chicken and break it down into serving-sized pieces. And while I'm sure that would've been great, I didn't have a whole chicken to work with. What I did have was some skinless, boneless chicken breast pieces that I got on sale at the grocery store a few weeks back and stuck in the freezer for later use.

The lean, skinless pieces don't have quite as much flavour as you'd get if working with a whole chicken. But they were still very good. The sauce was quite flavourful. And making it with a nice lean, skinless cut does make it a bit healthier, at least.

Braised Chicken with Peppers, Capers, and Olives

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• ~1kg skinless boneless chicken pieces
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. schmaltz (or olive oil)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 45g pancetta, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 c. white wine
• 1/3 c. Kalamata olives
• 2 Tbsp. capers

Directions

1. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Melt the schmaltz over medium heat.
3. Add the rosemary, bell peppers, onion, pancetta, and pepper flakes.
4. Season with salt and pepper and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
5. Add the tomatoes and wine.
6. Add the chicken, olives, and capers.
7. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.
8. Simmer until chicken is nearly cooked through (~15 minutes).
9. Uncover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes to thicken sauce up slightly.
10. Serve with rice and/or crusty bread.

A nice quick breakfast scramble that uses up a bunch of veggies. I've adjusted the proportion to use integer vegetables rather than fractional ones.

Confetti Scramble

From The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped into 1cm pieces
• ¼ C fresh or frozen corn kernels
• ½ C chopped mushrooms
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 8 large eggs
• ¼ C milk
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper, ground
• parsley and black olives for garnish

Directions

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add bell pepper, corn, mushrooms, and green onions and cook until tender, 6-7 minutes.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. Pour into skillet and let set for 20 seconds.
5. Stir until fluffy and almost dry, 3-4 minutes.
6. Top with parsley and olives and serve.

This was pretty good. I feel like it could've used a few tweaks, but it was a solid start.

The sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella all worked well together. And I appreciated the generous quantity of fresh basil. But I felt like it could've used a few more elements. I think garlic and mushrooms would've been particularly nice.

Sliced cremini mushrooms would be good. Especially if you sauté them with a bit of garlic and butter first. But I think that small marinated button mushrooms or mixed wild mushrooms would be even better here!

Mediterranean Strata

Adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 250-300g bread, cubed
• 300-400g artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1/3 c. Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 125g mushrooms, sliced or coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped
• 125g mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 6 large eggs
• 2 c. milk
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Grease a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
2. Place the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish in a single layer.
3. Layer the artichoke hearts, olives, and tomatoes on top.
4. If desired, sauté the mushrooms with the garlic and a little butter before layering them into the baking dish along with everything else.
5. Sprinkle with the basil and cheeses.
6. Beat the eggs with the milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the ingredients in the baking dish.
8. Cover with foil and let stand for at least an hour. Or transfer to the fridge and chill overnight.
9. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and bake, covered, for 20 minutes.
10. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 20-25 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

We've been on a bit of a shrimp and pasta kick lately. After six years of avoiding it due to suspected allergies, it's nice to finally be able to enjoy a bit of seafood again. And TF is a big fan of shrimp with pasta, so we've been leaning into that now that the shellfish ban has been lifted.

Spaghetti with Shrimp and Fennel

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, fronds chopped and reserved separately
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 large (~800mL) can whole or diced tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
• 1/4 c. kalamata olives (~15), pitted and quartered
• 3 Tbsp. dry white wine
• ~350g spaghetti (or other long pasta, preferably multi-grain or whole wheat)
• 350g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Parmesan or pecorino Romano, to serve

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add fennel seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
3. Add fennel bulb, onion, chile flakes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, olives, and wine and cook until thickened slightly (5-8 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions, reserving ~1 c. of the pasta cooking water before draining.
6. Add shrimp to sauce and cook until shrimp are just done (~3 minutes).
7. Add reserved pasta water to sauce and stir vigorously.
8. Add drained spaghetti and toss to combine.
9. Adjust seasoning to taste, top with reserved fennel fronds and Parmesan, and serve.

This was an excellent salad! Like, really unreasonably good for how simple it was!

We'd already eaten all of the bell peppers that I'd cooked yesterday, so we needed a new side dish to go with the leftover pasta. I didn't feel up for putting much effort in, but this salad didn't take much, so that was convenient. And it punches way above its weight flavour-wise. I'm very pleased with this one.

Shaved Carrots with Olives and Almonds

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g carrots
• 1/4 c. green olives, minced
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 c. almonds, toasted

Directions

1. Thinly slice the carrots on a mandoline or a box grater. (Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to make long, thin ribbons.)
2. Combine the olives, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. Add the carrots and toss to combine.
4. Coarsely grind or crush the almonds and sprinkle them over the salad.

TF made some shrimp and mushroom pasta for dinner last night. It was excellent. This is the vegetable side that I made to go with it. (Because I'm trying to get a bit better about making sure we have some sort of vegetables with our pasta-based dinners.)

This is pretty basic and simple, but it was very tasty. And it let me use some of the fresh rosemary from my mom's herb garden, so that was nice.

Roasted Peppers with Olives and Rosemary

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 4 large red and/or yellow bell peppers, sliced
• 1 sweet onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary, chopped
• 12 kalamata olives

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with foil or a silicone baking mat.
2. Toss the bell peppers and onion with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread out on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Roast at 200°C (400°F) for 45 minutes, turning/stirring every 15.
4. If using dried rosemary, add it after the first 30 minutes of roasting.
5. After 45 minutes of roasting, add the olives and fresh rosemary (if using) and roast for another 5 minutes.

Back when I was first trying to adjust my diet and lose a little weight, I tried a few different cottage cheese bowls. Mostly sweet ones involving fruit and nuts, maple syrup, chocolate, granola, etc. But I did give one savoury recipe a try. I didn't really care for it, so I've stuck to the sweet versions since then. My go-to involves apples, cinnamon, pecans, raisins, and a bit of maple syrup or stevia. And that's honestly been really great. It's tasty, it's filling, it's easy, and it can be made with staples that I basically always have on hand.

Unfortunately, I wasn't really feeling it this morning.

I had a green smoothie bowl for breakfast yesterday and that was really nice. But I'm pretty sure we're all out of mango now and I know that we don't have any pineapple. I think it would also be good with peaches or nectarines, but we won't have any of those until our produce basket arrives later today. And I wasn't feeling super enthusiastic about any of the other possible toppings I could think of. So I wrote off the smoothie bowl for this morning. But that left me drawing a big, ol' blank for breakfast today.

For whatever reason I really wasn't feeling the sweet cottage cheese bowls this morning, but the idea of cottage cheese itself wasn't unappealing. So I decided to see if I could put something together that hit the right notes for me.

We had some ground chicken and leftover zeytoon parvardeh (Persian marinated olives) in the fridge, so I decided to try to do something that would incorporate those. That said, I think this would also work with green olives and walnuts (and maybe a few extra seasonings) in place of the marinated olives. And you could probably get away with substituting chicken lunch meat for the ground chicken in a pinch (although I think the ground chicken is better here).

I may play around with the exact ingredients and proportions a bit if I make this again. But I think this was a good starting point.

Olive and Walnut Cottage Cheese Bowl

Ingredients

• 100g ground chicken (chicken breast for low-fat/diet-friendly option)
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ras el hanout
• 1/2 c. cottage cheese (fat-free for low-fat/diet-friendly option)
• 1/4 c. diced cucumber
• 4-5 green olives, halved
• 1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp. fried onions
• 2-3 tsp. pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 tsp. za'atar
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Season the chicken with the salt and ras el hanout and cook over medium heat until no longer pink.
2. Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and top with chicken, cucumber, olives, walnuts, and fried onion.
3. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with za'atar and pepper.
4. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

I took this recipe as more of a suggestion/inspiration than actual instructions. Because, as written, it was completely insane! First off, recipe-as-written, it called for no cheese. And, I'm sorry, if it doesn't have cheese, it's not a pizza, it's just a vegetable-topped flatbread. Secondly, it called for white button mushrooms rather than cremini or oyster or something with a bit more flavour. And finally, they had you relegate each of the four toppings to its own quadrant. So, you could have mushrooms or peppers or artichockes or olives, but there was no way to get all of the above without eating four separate slices of pizza. Which is completely bonkers!

TF and I took one look at the recipe and immediately decided to go off-script. We added a bunch of mozzarella cheese and also increased the topping quantities slightly and put all four toppings on the whole pizza rather than doing that weird quadrant thing. And, having done that, it was pretty good!

Mushroom, Bell Pepper, Artichoke, and Olive Pizza

Adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g whole wheat pizza dough
• 1/2 c. pizza sauce
• 1 c. grated mozzarella
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 3-4 cremini or oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 2-3 marinated artichoke hearts, sliced
• 8-10 black or kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 290°C (550°F) or the highest temperature it will go.
2. Roll out pizza dough into a 35cm (14") circle.
3. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal and place the pizza crust on top.
4. Spread pizza sauce over dough (leaving a 1cm border).
5. Top with mozzarella.
6. Sprinkle with bell pepper, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and olives.
7. Quickly slide pizze onto preheated pizza stone and bake until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbling (~8 minutes).
8. Remove from oven, sprinkle with basil, slice, and serve.

This was a big hit with TF. The Kidlet and I also liked it, but TF was especially enamored of it. Even though I wasn't able to get the proper boneless lamb shoulder and ended up using some discount loin chops instead. I think the only change I'd make in the future would be to double the olives (and maybe add a bit more preserved lemon).

Lamb Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp. saffron threads
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1kg boneless lamb shoulder, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 12-24 pitted green olives
• 1 preserved lemon, flesh discarded and peel minced
• 1-2 Tbsp. chickpea flour (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat the chicken stock until steaming.
2. Stir in the saffron and set aside to steep.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat (preferably in a tagine).
4. Season the lamb with the salt and pepper.
5. Add the lamb to the tagine and sear on all sides.
6. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside.
7. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil to the tagine.
8. Add the onion and cook until softened (5-10 minutes).
9. Add the ginger, paprika, cumin, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Return the lamb to the tagine.
11. Add the bay leaf and the stock and bring to a boil.
12. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes.
13. Transfer lamb to a serving platter.
14. Increase heat to medium and stir in olives, preserved lemon, and chickpea flour (if using).
15. Cook until sauce thickens slightly.
16. Pour sauce over lamb, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

I had to pull together and emergency back-up dinner in a hurry the other day and ended up landing on this potato salad recipe (after going through about four other foiled dinner plans). It's not the most exciting dinner, but it at least has a bit of protein and some vegetables -- and we actually had all the ingredients on hand! -- so I just rolled with it.

Only after I'd put the potatoes on to boil did I remember that I'd used up all the frozen green beans a couple weeks ago and hadn't restocked yet. I wasn't about to try to pivot to a different dinner plan yet again, so instead I did a quick switcheroo and swapped in some frozen peas for the green beans. Not quite the same, I know, but it still worked very well. Potatoes and peas make a great combo!

Two-Bean Potato Salad

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 125g fresh or frozen green beans, trimmed
• 570g potatoes, quartered
• 1 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
• 4-6 green olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. capers, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Roman mustard
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. If using fresh green beans: bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch them for 2-3 minutes. Then shock in cold water. Save the bean cooking water and use to boil the potatoes.
   If using frozen beans: thaw and set aside.
2. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until tender (~10 minutes).
3. Drain the beans (from their ice bath) and the potatoes (from the pot of boiling water) and place them in a large bowl.
4. Add the chickpeas, onion, parsley, mint, olives, and capers.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the mustard with the vinegar salt and pepper.
6. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking vigorously.
7. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine.
8. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

We have an actual tagine, but I opted to cook this as written in a glass baking dish, in part because I didn't think I could fit all the ingredients in the actual tagine. It was decently tasty but not a favourite.

Fish Tagine with Carrots and Olives

Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 244)

Ingredients

• 4+2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• ¼ C chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½+½ tsp salt, divided
• ⅛+⅛ tsp pepper, divided
• 4 halibut or cod fillets, ~185g each
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 500g carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 24 kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 4 tbsp oil with the cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, ½ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
2. Add the fish and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, turning once.
3. In another bowl, combine the remaining 2 tbsp oil, honey, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, ½ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
4. Add the carrots and toss to coat.
5. Arrange the carrot slices evenly in the bottom of a 9"×13" glass baking dish.
6. Layer half the onion and lemon slices on top.
7. Layer the fish on top of that, reserving the marinade.
8. Layer remaining onion and lemon slices on top of the fish.
9. Sprinkle over olives, then pour over reserved marinade.
10. Cover with tinfoil, leaving a small gap at the edges.
11. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour, or until fish flakes easily and vegetables are tender.

I had been intending to make parfaits for breakfast this morning. But then TF reminded me of the back bacon in the fridge that really needed to be cooked and used up. And we have a surplus of eggs right now. So, instead of parfaits, TF cooked up the back bacon and I made this frittata to go with it. It's not going to be a new favourite or anything, but it was decent. Especially with a bit of chutney. And it used up ingredients on hand, so it worked out well.

Cabbage, Green Olive, and Onion Frittata

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil¹, divided
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter²
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. chile flakes
• 550g cabbage, cored and sliced
• 1/2 c. sliced green olives
• 8 large eggs
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 100g mozzarella³, thinly sliced or grated

Directions

1. Melt the butter with 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden (~10 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and chile flakes and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the cabbage and drizzle the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of oil on top.
5. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Stir well and cook until cabbage is fully wilted (3-5 minutes longer).
7. Add the olives.
8. Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper.
9. Pour the egg mixture over the cabbage mixture and cook until bottom is set (3-4 minutes).
10. Carefully lift up one edge of the frittata to let some of the raw egg flow under. Repeat at several points around the edge.
11. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
12. Slide the frittata out onto a plate and then invert back into the pan.
13. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
14. If desired, place under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the cheese.
15. Serve with chutney or Worcestershire sauce.

---

¹ The original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp. of oil. I only used 1 1/2. But I was also making this in the same pan that the bacon was cooked in, so I had all the "fond" from that to work with. It wasn't very fatty, but it was salty and flavourful. If I was making this without the accompanying bacon, I'd probably bump the oil up to at least 2 Tbsp. ^Back
2 I used the last little nubbin of butter in the wrapper. I think it was probably only ~1 tsp. maybe 1 1/2. But, again, I figured this would be fine since I had the back bacon fond to work with. (See previous footnote.) ^Back
3 I didn't have any mozzarella handy. Simmons suggests Teleme as a good choice, but I've never even heard of that cheese, so I just used the mildest melty cheese that I had: a mild, reduced-fat cheddar. ^Back

This tagine smelled amazing! The herbs... the lemon... the garlic... the saffron! It all makes a great combination. And the chicken did come out nice and tender. I feel like it smelled better than it tasted though. It's not that it was bad -- it was nice. But it just wasn't as nice as I'd hoped based on smelling it during cooking.

I only used 1/3 of the oil called for in the recipe and I still found the sauce/broth to be excessively fatty. I would have preferred a thicker, leaner sauce. This produced a very brothy dish with a thick layer of fat on top.

I think, next time, I'll skin whatever chicken parts I'm using first. The recipe specifically calls for skin-on bone-in thighs, but I might want to try it with a whole chicken that's been skinned and jointed. I figure I could just reserve the back and wings for making stock and use the legs, thighs and breasts for the tagine. I might need to split the breasts since they're pretty bulky and take longer to cook, but I think that a mix of skinless parts would probably produce a better result than the fatty, skin-on thighs did.

I'd also get a different variety of olives next time. The recipe didn't specify a type beyond "green". And normally that would be fine. I'd just go out and get a generic jar of green olives and call it a day. But since they were one of the key components of this dish and since the recipe called for such a large quantity of them, I went out to look for nice imported olives. I ended up picking up a jar of Cerignola olives as they most closely resembed what was shown in the photo of the finished dish. Having now tried them, they're not my favourite olive, but I like them well enough¹. But TF really isn't a fan. I figure maybe I can look for some high-quality Manzanilla olives or go to the Halal grocery store downtown and see what types they have available. (Maybe it would make a good excuse to finally get a jar of those little grilled olives that they have!)

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp. saffron threads
• 2 Tbsp. hot water
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 c. lemon juice, divided
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 small chicken (1-1.5kg), skinned and jointed
• 2 preserved lemons, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 1/2 c. whole green olives

Directions

1. Pour the hot water over the saffron threads and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Combine the onions, cilantro, parsley, 2 Tbsp. of the lemon juice, cumin, ginger, turmeric, salt, garlic, 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil, and saffron (together with its soaking liquid) in a blender or food processor and blend into a pulply purée.
3. Place the chicken legs, thighs, and breasts in a bowl and pour the marinade over them, tossing to coat. Reserve the back and wings for another use.
4. Cover and chill for 8-24 hours.
5. The next day, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add the lemon slices and sear on both sides until browned (~2 minutes per side).
7. Remove the lemon slices from the pan and set aside.
8. Warm a tagine over medium heat. (If you don't have one, use a Dutch oven instead).
9. Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes.
10. Add the chicken broth along with any residual marinade from the chicken and bring to a boil.
11. Once the sauce is boiling, cover the tagine, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (~40 minutes).
12. Meanwhile, put the olives in a small pot with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil.
13. Reduce the heat (under the olives) to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
14. Drain the olives and set them aside until the chicken is cooked.
15. Once the chicken is no longer pink inside, add the olives and stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice.
16. Add the seared lemon slices to the tagine as well.
17. Cover and continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is very tender (~15 minutes longer).
18. Garnish with additional parsley and/or cilantro if desired.
19. Serve with roasted veggies and/or your preferred starch.

---

¹ After they'd been boiled. I tried one straight out of the jar and it was nearly inedible, both gustatorially and physically. The flesh was hard and did not want to come away from the pit! After boiling, they'd softened considerably, the flavour was nicer, and the pit separated from the flesh much more easily. TF still wasn't a fan though. Hence the search for a different type of green olive for next time. ¹

Spaghettini alla Olive Nere

This is a nice quick weekday pasta dish. As usual, we've made some changes. We made it with oil-packed olives, so the olive oil was turned down to compensate. The amount of sauce was also turned up by about 50%, given how Hazan's recipes often have a fairly high pasta:sauce ratio; after trying it we were in agreement that we could have gotten away with doubling it, and that's the recipe I've written up here.

Spaghetti alla Olive Nere (Spaghettini with Black Olives)

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (p. 74)

Ingredients

• 350-450g dry spaghetti or spaghettini
• ¼ C olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1L diced tomatoes
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 20-25 oil-packed olives, pitted and julienned

Directions

1. Combine olive oil and garlic in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until garlic is just beginning to change colour.
2. Stir in parsley, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes reduce and the oil separates.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir in the olives.
4. Cook pasta al dente.
5. Drain pasta, then toss with sauce and serve immediately.

I've been wanting to try out this recipe for ropa vieja since this issue of Cook's Country first came out back in 2017. My original plans to make it ended up falling through and it just never quite made it back to the top of the stack again after that.

Well, I am pleased to report that I finally made it and it is delicious!

The original recipe is written for the slow cooker with an initial sauté of the veggies on the stovetop. Given that format, I was able to do the whole thing in the InstantPot. It worked quite well. Although I did have to bump the temperature up partway through cooking as the "medium" slow cook setting didn't appear to be getting the job done. Nudging it up to high for the last three hours seems to have work though, so I'd recommend just putting it on high from the get-go next time.

I served my ropa vieja over Congrí with some green beans on the side to make it a complete meal.

Ropa Vieja

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2017

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 2-3 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce¹
• 2 bay leaves
• 900g flank steak, cut against the grain into 4 pieces
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 c. sliced green olives
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-low heat. (Sauté low on InstantPot.)
2. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
3. Move vegetables to sides of pot and add the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and 1/4 tsp. of the salt to the cleared spot in the middle.
4. Cook for a minute or two, then stir the vegetables into the paste mixture.
5. Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated (1-2 minutes).
6. Add the soy sauce and bay leaves.
7. Season steak with the pepper and the remaining 1 tsp. of salt and add it to the pot on top of the sauce.
8. Cover and slow cook on high for ~6 hours.
9. Once meat is tender, remove steak from pot and shred with two forks.
10. Return meat to sauce and stir in olives and vinegar.
11. Serve over plain rice, congri, or your starch of choice. (I've seen both potatoes and polenta suggested as alternatives to rice.

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¹ I'd be inclined to try a mix of light and dark soy next time. ^Back

We made some changes to this to make it a bit more healthful; primarily, cutting back on the cheese and corn chips. (The recipe calls for making your own by frying corn tortillas; we had a package of corn tostadas and just broke some of those up.)

Skillet Beef Enchiladas

Cook's Country June/July 2016 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 batch enchilada sauce
• 1-1½ C shredded mild cheddar or jack
• ¼ C sliced olives
• 3 green onions, sliced thin
• 4+2 tostadas, shattered
• sour cream for serving

Directions

1. Add beef, onion, and salt to a medium-hot skillet. Cook until beef is browned, ~6 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add enchilada sauce and four of the tostadas.
3. Simmer until thickened, ~5 minutes.
4. Top with remaining tostada fragments, olives, scallion,s and cheese.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until cheese is melted.
6. Serve with sour cream.

A nice quick, easy, meal that produces very satisfying results. There's not much to it, but I found the sweetness of the onions and bell peppers really came through.

I didn't have quite as much sausage as the recipe called for, but I think it was still okay with the lesser amount. I also opted to toss a bouillon cube into the polenta in place of the salt called for in the original recipe. And, as usual, I cooked my polenta with a little more water than Cook's Country recommends. They advise a 4:1 ratio of water:polenta, but I usually do 5:1.

The only other change I made was to reduce the quantity of butter called for. I've been trying to eat a little healthier and I know just eating the same things with slightly less butter/fat won't make much difference, but hopefully it'll help a little.

Oh, and I was using Beyond Meat sausages, so this was actually a vegetarian meal for us as well.

Polenta with Sausage, Peppers, and Olives

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2017

Ingredients

• 5 c. water + 1 bouillon cube (or 2 c. water + 3 c. stock of your choice)
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 450g Italian sausages
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 425mL crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Combine the water and cornmeal and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until very thick.
3. Meanwhile, cook the sausages over medium heat until browned on all sides (5-6 minutes).
4. Increase heat to medium-high and add the bell pepper and onion.
5. Cook until vegetables are softened (4-5 minutes).
6. Add the tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the butter and cook until slightly thickened (3-4 minutes). Break the sausages up a bit if you'd like.
7. Remove from heat and stir in olives.
8. When the polenta is done, remove from heat and stir in butter and remaining 1/2 tsp. of pepper.
9. Serve polenta topped with sauce.

I grabbed a bunch of rosemary in the last produce basket we got so that I could make the rosemary-cream cheese sourdough. But, of course, there was quite a bit of rosemary left over, so I've been making other rosemary things in the meantime. This was the latest and, despite cutting the proofing slightly short, the bread is still lovely. Really phenomenal flavour! Would definitely recommend.

I tried one loaf with whole olives and one loaf with sliced olives. The whole olive loaf was much easier to handle and seemed to come out better overall. Neither one got super great oven spring, but I think that's more to do with the proofing and (lack of) lamination than anything to do with the olives. I got a bit lazy with this dough and didn't end up doing any kneading or stretch-and-folds beyond what was needed to work in the olives and rosemary. Honestly, the internal structure is surprisingly good considering that fact. But I'm sure doing some proper lamination of the dough would've helped it out even more.

The original recipe calls for liquid starter at 166% hydration, but then has you mixing a preferment at 102% hydration. Rather than trying to mix up a cup of the 166% starter and then adjusting the hydration again when mixing the preferment, I opted to just use my regular starter and adjust the amounts of flour and water called for to keep it at roughly 100% hydration. This felt simpler to me and seems to have yielded good results.

Rosemary-Olive Sourdough

Slightly adapted from Northwest Sourdough

Ingredients

Preferment

• 255g ripe/fed sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 205g water
• 195g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour

Dough

• 623g hard (strong/high grade/bread) white flour
• 17g coarse sea salt
• preferment
• 283g water
• 28g unsalted butter, softened
• 2-4 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
• ~200g pitted kalamata olives

Directions

1. Mix the starter, water, and flour for the preferment, cover, and let it rest and ferment overnight.
2. The next day, combine the flour and salt, then pour in the preferment, water, and butter and mix well.
3. Knead for a few minutes to work all the flour in. The dough will be a bit stiff, but should come together.
4. Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 6-10 hours, stretching and folding every hour or to if possible.
5. Once the dough is nicely risen, divide it into two equal portions.
6. Press the dough portions flat and sprinkle each with 1-2 Tbsp. of rosemary and ~100g of olives.
7. Knead the dough to work in and distribute the olives and rosemary. If the dough becomes difficult to handle, cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then continue working.
8. Round the dough, cover and rest for 10 minutes.
9. Shape into loaves (preferably with a book fold for batards and similar shapes).
10. Place in bannetons, cover, and place in fridge overnight.
11. In the morning, remove from fridge and allow to proof at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
12. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
13. Grease a baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal.
14. Pour some boiling water into a pan and place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
15. Turn loaves out onto prepared pan and slash as desired.
16. Bake loaves on middle rack oven over pan of boiling water for 20 minutes.
17. After 20 minutes, remove water pan and reduce oven temperature to 220°C (425°F) and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
18. Turn oven off and leave loaves in hot oven for 10 minutes.
19. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool.