Need a hot breakfast? Here are two ideas. Both are spicy, and delicious any time, but especially well-suited to breakfast or brunch.
For this frittata, I used a large iron skillet. If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, after browning the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop, then pour the drippings into a pie plate, and layer it with the potato slices.
Pork chorizo and roasted cabbage frittata
1-1.5 lbs fresh pork chorizo sausage
5 medium potatoes, scrubbed
Half a head of cabbage
A dozen eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Thinly slice the potatoes into 1/16" rounds. Slice the cabbage into small pieces, either by shredding or chopping.
Slice open the sausages to remove the meat; discard the casings. Brown the chorizo in a large skillet for a few minutes. Add the cabbage to the skillet and turn the heat down to medium. Simmer the cabbage, stirring occasionally, until it is tender: about ten minutes. Remove the cabbage and sausage mixture from the skillet and set aside.
Line the skillet with overlapping slices of potato, to completely cover the bottom and sides. Add the sausage and cabbage in an even layer.
Beat the eggs with salt and pepper, and pour them over the top of the sausage and cabbage to fill the skillet to within 1/2" of the top.
Bake at 350 degrees until the egg on top of the frittata is set and the visible edges of potato are very well browned: about 30 minutes. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes.
Slice and serve warm or cold.
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This next dish is an aloo gobi recipe. In the original, Jaffrey has you soak the sliced vegetables in water before cooking with them, but I don't think it's a worthwhile step and always skip it.
Cauliflower and Potatoes with Fenugreek and Fennel Seeds
Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking
A head of cauliflower
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
black pepper
1 tsp garam masala
Break up the cauliflower into florets and slice them into thin wedges, about 1/2" thick at the widest. Slice the potatoes thinly, about 1/4-1/8" thick.
Heat the oil in a large skillet that has a lid. Add the fenugreek, fennel, cumin, and red pepper. Stir for a minute, then add the sliced potatoes and cauliflower. Stir to completely coat in oil and spices. Sprinkle with the turmeric, coriander, salt, and pepper. Sauté for several minutes until vegetables begin to brown.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet and cover, turning the heat to low. Steam the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the garam masala, stir, and serve.
