Brunch

It's the end of the week and I have two cartons of eggs and a lot of tomatoes that I need to use. I've decided to invite friends over for brunch and will be making Shakshuka-- a tomato-pepper stew with poached eggs and harissa (a Tunisian red chile-pepper paste.) Traditionally from Israel, I think I'll serve this with a cold cucumber, mint, and yogurt salad, with pita bread. Here is the recipe.

Update: The brunch was a success! All of my friends adored the pang of the stewed tomato sauce juxtaposed with the delicately baked eggs...but I decided not the serve this with the cucumber salad. Instead, I opted for a shredded fennel, fresh beet, almond, and mint salad. It was just perfect.

Here is my recipe for shredded fennel, beet, almond, and mint salad. It's simple, colorful, and light.

Ingredients:
3 huge fennel bulbs, shredded thinly
3 huge beets, boiled until a knife can go through them without resistance
1/4 cup of olive oil (usually I eye ball this to be honest)
1 large bundle of fresh mint (organic)
1/4 cup of slivered almonds, pan-roasted
2 lemons
sea salt
fresh pepper
a drizzle of honey

Directions:
1. Shred all of the fennel bulbs and separate them in a large bowl

2. Boil beets on high heat until cooked through. Chop them into cubes and add to the large bowl.

3. Roast almond slivers over the stove on low heat. When brown, add them to the large bowl as well.

4. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper and whisk lightly until
dressing is formed. Pour dressing over salad

5. Chop the entire bunch of mint, without the stalks. Add to salad

6. Mix everything, add a bit more olive oil and salt to taste. Voila!