As I sit here and look out the window at the stunning Autum colors I feel inspired by the beauty of nature. Isn’t it gorgeous? That is also how I feel in the kitchen. What inspires me to cook sometimes is the cravings for some food but most times it is just fresh beautiful ingredients. I can tell you that after a long day of work cooking isn’t always what I want to do when I get home. What helps me stay on track is having fresh seasonal ingredients at hand, it inspires me to cook with them to transform them into something delicious and tasty.
One evening that I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner, I started looking around to see what we had. I saw the gorgeous Delicata Squash and beautiful Italian peppers from the CSA box. I also had some Chorizo I had gotten from Underground Butcher. A number of ideas were flying through my head that I could make with these few ingredients, but I just decided to go simple and quick. Roasting the squash, quick cooking the chorizo in a pan and adding an egg on top, just because we all love eggs. The kids asked if we were having breakfast for dinner and I said “something like that” 🙂 It was easy, quick, simple and delish!
What common ingredients from your pantry/fridge inspire you every day? Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients:
(serves 4)
1 Large Delicata squash
1 Large onion, diced
3 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 Italian peppers, thinly sliced
4 Chorizo sausages
4 Eggs
1 Tablespoon butter, divided in four
1/2 Cup cilantro leaves
Smoked paprika for garnish (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400F. Prepare a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut the squash length wise, remove de seeds with a spoon and cut into 1/4 inch thin slices. Spread the slices on the cookie sheet, sprinkle with two Tbsp. olive oil, salt & pepper and bake until tender and caramelized on both sides, turning it half way through the cooking time, about 18 minutes total. Meanwhile heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the diced onions until soft and start to get color in the outside, about 8 minutes. Push the chorizo out of the case and into the pan with the onions, cook until brown and most of the fat has rendered in the pan. At this point remove the pan from the heat, tilt to the side pushing the chorizo & onion mix back, using a couple of paper towels remove all the fat from the pan and discard (Note: do not dump the fat on your sink or down the drain – think green! :)) Return the pan over medium heat, add the Italian peppers, stir and cook for about 2 more minutes. Don’t overcook, you want the peppers to have a bit of a crunch and keep their vibrant color. Turn the heat off and stir in the cilantro. Set aside.
In a small frying pan over medium heat add one piece of butter, crack an egg in a small bowl, add it to the pan and let cook for about a minute. Add one tablespoon water and immediately cover with a lid. Cook until a white film has formed on the yolk but it’s still tender about 1 minute, place the cooked egg in a plate in repeat with the remainder eggs.
To serve, place the slices of Delicata squash on a plate, spoon the chorizo-pepper mixture over the squash and top with an egg. Sprinkle the egg with salt & smoked paprika (optional). Enjoy!
