Why deli containers > tupperware

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Here is your weekly recipe inspiration newsletter.

Our goal is to get your cooking juices flowing and inspire you to try new meals. Never be stumped for your Sunday grocery store run again.

As always, a full grocery shopping list in Notion is linked at the end of this email.

In This Week’s Edition

Try Something New 🤯 — Shakshuka

Throwback Time 🍳 — Chicken Karahi

The Leftover Shelf 🥡 — Spiced Creamy Penne

Extra Helpings 🍽 — Cloud Bread, Deli Containers, & More

Try Something New 🤯

The best thing I ate this week.

Shakshuka

A savory dish you can make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This is an easy weeknight go-to, and a great way to use up eggs.

Ingredients

• 1/2 a 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)*

• 3-5 eggs

• 1/2 onion, diced*

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced*

• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp ground coriander

• 1/4 tsp chili powder or chili flakes, or to taste

• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

• Olive oil for cooking

• Optional: crumbled feta & cilantro or parsley garnish

• Toasted bread, crackers, or pita to serve.

*save the other half for the other recipes below! No waste grocery shopping :)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to around 400 F or 205 C (Any high temp will work in this recipe, it will just be to finish cooking the eggs through — if you’re in a rush you can broil them).

2. In a medium, oven-proof pan (like stainless steel) saute the onion & bell pepper until softened. Add in the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and black pepper and continue cooking until fragrant.

3. Take your 1/2 can of whole canned tomatoes and either crush by hand or pulse with a hand blender, and add to the pan. I like to leave some texture in my tomatoes here. Bring to a simmer, and reduce for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste.

4. Turn off the heat. In the sauce, use your cooking spoon to create a divot for each egg, and crack in your eggs so that they are resting on the surface of the shakshuka.

5. Slide the pan into the oven and cook for 5-15 minutes, checking in every few minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness. I like my eggs jiggly and a bit runny for shakshuka. Garnish & serve over bread if desired.

Pro Tip - Add in any vegetables, meats, or spice profiles to shakshuka. Think of it as a flavor canvas to use up leftover produce, or add in ground meats, sausage, or even leftover chicken.

Throwback Time 🍳

If you like butter chicken, you’ll like Chicken Karahi. It’s easier to make and doesn’t require added cream, making this a quick, high-protein meal.

Check out the video, or read the recipe here.​

There’s a lot of overlap in the ingredient list here from the Shakshuka, so you have no excuse but to make it (almost like we planned this…)

For this week’s leftovers, you can repurpose those remaining canned tomatoes or any uneaten shakshuka sauce into a spiced pasta sauce.

The Leftover Shelf 🥡

Leftovers are back in style…if you know how to use them.

This week’s move:

Shakshuka → Spiced Creamy Penne

This is where you can get that dairy back into your week. Get some cream, parmesan, and a box of pasta, and you’re ready to transform any leftover tomatoes.

• 1/2 box of dried penne pasta (1/2 lb or 250 g)

• Remaining canned tomatoes, and/or leftover shakshuka sauce

• 1/2 onion, leftover, finely diced

• 1/2 red bell pepper, leftover, finely diced

• 8 oz bacon or pancetta, finely diced

• 6 oz cream (any kind will do)

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• Handful parmesan, finely grated, & to taste.

• Olive oil for cooking

• Optional: more chili flakes, to taste, and depending on spice level of leftover shakshuka, if using.

• Optional: Leftover parsley for garnish, if available.

Instructions: 1) In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta to package directions minus 1 minute. 2) In a wide pan, saute bacon or pancetta bits until deeply browned & rendered. Remove about half of the browned bits from the pan and reserve for garnish, leaving the fat 3)Add a splash of olive oil, if necessary, and add the onion & bell pepper. After a few minutes of cooking, add in garlic and more chile flake, if using. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in all leftover tomato sauces and stir to combine. 4) At this point you can either leave the sauce chunky (think rustic), or puree until smooth with a blender or processor, and return to the pan. 5) Stir in cream, a handful of grated parmesan, and drained pasta. Simmer until the sauce is luscious and the pasta has reached your desired al-dente doneness. Garnish with more grated parmesan, crispy bacon bits, and parsley.

*Add a shot of vodka and simmer off to make this vodka pasta!

Extra Helpings 🍽

🚀 Viral Eats

The latest cooking trends explained.

Q: What is cloud bread, and how is it so fluffy?

A: Tik-Tok cloud bread is made by whipping egg whites with sugar and cornstarch, and then baking into a fluffy, cloud-like bread.

This is more of a meringue than bread, which is a dessert made of whipped egg whites and sugar.

When egg whites are whisked vigorously, tiny air bubbles are forced between the egg protein molecules. With enough whisking, the running egg white transforms into a voluminous, fluffy, and eventually stiff mixture.

Sugar provides both sweetness and stabilization to the mixture, and the added corn starch provides structure and starch so the end product feels a bit more like bread than just meringue.

When baked, these ingredients firm up and trap all the whipped air bubbles in a network of starch and protein, leaving you with, well, a cloud-like texture.

​

🤔 Reader Q&A

Q: What’s the deal with deli containers? I’ve noticed them in a lot of videos. Why not use glass Tupperware? — Kelsey M.

A: Great Question, Kelsey. Deli containers are super stackable, and take up way less room in my kitchen than any other storage containers. They come in industry standard sizes: 1 cup, 2 cups (pint), and 4 cups (quart), which is why most restaurants use these to prep and store ingredients — they save a lot of measuring time. They’re mostly watertight and a great way to shake up a vinaigrette or freeze stock in. Additionally, I always purchase ones that are dishwasher and freezer safe so I can reuse them and if I do happen to break one, I can just get another for free with my next take-out meal.

🏆 Dinner Winner! Reader Photo Submission Contest

Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.

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Food Science: Burger Science​

Social Media Feed Upgrade: Connect with Ethan everywhere.​

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