We have snow. Still. April is almost half over, and the snow clings like a skeletal hand at the edge of a cliff. A tad dramatic perhaps, but this never-ending winter brings out the Poe in me. As I type, a raven is cawing in the birch tree.
I need heat – not only of the meteorological type, but a culinary heat to melt these snowy doldrums and kick me into spring mode.
With merguez sausage (courtesy of Corey, the butcher, from Acme Meat Market in Edmonton) waiting to be toyed with, a tube of fiery Tunisian harissa, and a jar of ras el hanout (a blend of Moroccan spices) hanging around in the pantry, I had the makings of something Moroccan – that much I knew. I just needed a recipe. When I typed in “merguez sausage recipe” in Google, Food52’s Moroccan Ragout caught my attention. The picture alone convinced me this was exactly what I needed.
Picture courtesy of Food52.com
Put a soft egg on anything and I’ll eat it. I have even contemplated flying to Portland, Oregon just to satisfy my craving for food from Tasty n Sons: the Burmese Red Pork Stew, and John’s Breakfast, two dishes served atop short grain rice and crowned with soft eggs. Seriously, no joke. I have actually looked into the cost of airfare.
John’s Breakfast from Tasty ‘n Sons in Portland
But back to my sausage and this never-ending winter…
I had all the ingredients – every last one. We have, one might say, an eclectically stocked and abundant pantry.
The recipe is very well written, easy to follow and takes less time to accomplish than what you might expect from a ragout endeavour. After sautéing the onions and garlic, add the chopped sausage, spices and tomatoes, let it simmer for a bit, add the eggs and let them poach. Done.
I served the ragout on a dish of short-grain rice a la Tasty n Sons. I closed my eyes to block out the winter wall of white staring back at me through the kitchen windows and almost, almost, felt like I was in Portland. It also had me contemplating a trip to Morocco.
If you missed clicking on the link above for the recipe, here it is again, from Food52. Enjoy.