Roman Eggs: Soft Boiled with Pine Nut Sauce

Roman Eggs: Soft Boiled with Pine Nut Sauce

I love a good challenge! Recently I participated in a North Indian cuisine challenge and today I am submitting these Roman Eggs to The Roman Recipe Challenge hosted by Natascha’s Palace. There is a long, rich history about Eggs in Roman cuisine. I’d never really thought about how they cooked in days long gone but did you know that eggs were one of the most expensive food items? So when they were presented at table they were a delicacy! A recipe for Soft Boiled Eggs with Pine Nut Sauce dates back to the 4th or 5th Century in a Roman cuisine cookbook collection, Apicius, specifically named after Marcus Gavius Apicius, who’s known as the first Gourmet. My recipe has been adapted for modern times and boy is it a delicious breakfast…I can see why they were delicacies!
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Vaca Frita

Vaca Frita
As I’ve said before, Alma de Cuba is one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia. I’ve shared my version of their Skirt Steak and today’s I’m sharing my version of another favorite – Vaca Frita! Vaca Frita means fried cow in Spanish. In the traditional recipe, flank steak or skirt steak are cooked twice creating a delectable dish. My recipe uses boneless chuck roast instead of skirt steak for two reasons – first, I’m serving four people and a chuck roast is just the perfect size for us and second, skirt and flank steaks are just so darn expensive for the smallest steak. I have to say that after shredding and frying the roast no one would have been able to tell the difference! This is another winner – the combined flavors of the fried shredded meat along with the onions & peppers was stupendous…and with the addition of a side of Spanish Red Rice and Goya Maduros…all I can say is WOW! Go ahead, give it a try…all of these flavors together are just incredible! Continue reading