Dinner a bit to busy in the flavor department...

Jeff has made a couple mentions that it is feeling like he is eating around the world from some of the flavors in the recipes we've been making this week! Tonight's recipe, North African Vegetable Stew with Poached Eggs, had an interesting combination of flavors and textures for us.

The original recipe called for a frozen pepper stir-fry mixture - we somehow ended up grabbing the wrong bag this weekend and instead came with one filled with peppers, onions, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts. I really didn't feel like going out when I noticed the error, so we just went with it. After the veggie mixture is cooked, the original recipe calls for leaving them in while you finish the rest of the recipe - however, with the mixture of veggies we had, I took them out and added them back in at the end so they didn't loose their integrity and get all mushy. A crushed spice mixture of coriander seeds, caraway and salt with some fresh garlic is then added to the pan and cooked just until a fragrant aroma starts to escape. Chickpeas and fire-roasted chunky tomatoes are added and allowed to simmer until the mixture begins to thicken. 4 eggs are then broken into the simmering juices and they gently poach until set. This had very good flavor - the egg on top was a fun finishing touch, but I think the amount of different vegetables in the mix was just a bit too distracting. I highly suggest using only a mix of peppers and onions instead.

Recipes
North African Vegetable Stew with Poached Eggs