Cuckoo for Kukus

I received many questions this week about kukus, so I thought I would share an updated "recipe."

What's a kuku? It's a persian-style baked vegetable omelette. Mollie Katzen took this concept and created a recipe for cauliflower kukus that are baked in a muffin pan (see her cookbook Vegetable Heaven, which is a great recipe resource).

It had been awhile since I made kukus, but my new morning workout schedule had me going to the deli for bacon-egg-and-cheese on a toasted English muffin a few mornings too often. One of the great things about these little omelettes is that they travel well, and they are tasty even at room temperature. They also make a great brunch dish.

My "recipe" is below, but I use the word loosely. I've been on a kick for kale, so that's what I used this week for the main vegetable. I seasoned the dish with jalapeño, cumin seed, and chili powder, and used cheddar for the cheese. You can mix it up and have fun with this dish. At the end of sautéing your vegetables, the goal is to have about 3.5 cups of cooked vegetables (a generous 1/4 cup for each muffin space).

The eggs will stick like crazy, even if you grease the muffin tin, so I now use foil-lined baking cups with a light coat of vegetable oil spray.

Kukus "Recipe"

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 - 1/2 of a jalapeño pepper, minced
• Seasonings of your choice, to taste (e.g., sprinkling of cumin seed toasted in oil and chili powder or Italian seasoning, etc.)
• 5 cups of broccoli or cauliflower OR 10 cups of chopped kale
• 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1-2 medium fresh, ripe tomatoes or 1-2 fire roasted canned tomatoes, squeezed and chopped
• 1/2-3/4 cup shredded (or crumbled) cheese, your choice 
• 5 whole eggs, 5 egg whites
• 1-2 tbs chopped fresh parsely
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper

Method

• Line the muffin tin, spray cups lightly, and preheat oven to 350 degrees

• Lightly steam kale until bright green and somewhat tender (about 5 minutes)
• Toast cumin seed in olive oil (if using... if not, just heat the oil)
• Add onions, peppers, and carrot with 1/4 tsp salt, saute until tender
• Add garlic, jalapeño, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and chili powder (or other seasoning), saute another minute or two
• Add kale and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and season again with chili powder (or other seasoning), cook another 2-3 minutes or until kale is tender and not watery 
• Add breadcrumbs, remove from heat 

• Fill each muffin cup with a generous 1/4 cup of sautéed vegetables
• Add a layer of chopped tomatoes
• Sprinkle with cheese
• Add a twist of fresh lemon pepper or regular black pepper

                               

• Whisk five whole eggs and five whites together, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and parsley or other fresh herb 
• Pour (carefully) into each cup until full (The muffin cups will look full before you pour in the egg mixture, but never fear, the egg will seep through.)

                               

• Bake at 350 about 30-35 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are browned)
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and eat or let cool further and then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate 

Enjoy!