Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was October again in Stars Hollow. The wind was growing more and more biting every day, the leaves had started to turn orange, yellow and red and they would soon begin to fall from their trees.

Rory had returned to the town with the intention of only visiting for a few days, but the stay had already turned into two weeks. Her career plans in New York had not really panned out as she had hoped and she wanted to recuperate from her professional heartbreak in her home town. Lorelai and Luke were happy to have her. In fact the entire town had welcomed her back with open arms. Somehow she had become the temporary editor of the tiny local newspaper as well.

Rory, Lorelai and Sookie were sitting in Lorelai's kitchen, carving pumpkins with Sookie's youngest kids. Though after the first pumpkin the kids had quickly gotten bored and had run off to play in the garden instead.

"Your birthday is just around the corner," said Lorelai. She was currently trying to carve Mister Spock from Star Trek, but the pumpkin rather looked like a fat elf.

"Oh that's right!" cooed Sookie. "I will cook anything you want for your party, Rory!" she declared. Her pumpkin carving looked very professional in comparison.

"Hm..." hummed Rory. She had murdered two pumpkins at this point and had switched to picking out pumpkin seeds from the leftovers for later roasting.

"Remember that time we were snowed in at our house? During that huge blizzard?" asked Rory.

"Oh yes, that was fun!" said Lorelai happily.

"It was not fun at all!" Sookie cried. "It turned out your fridge was empty and your cooktop didn't work!"

"Hey, I never cook. I only need the oven for heating up leftover pizza. I never even noticed the cooktop was broken."

Sookie shook her head in disbelief and huffed. She was already opening her mouth in order to set up a huge tirade.

"Well anyway," interrupted Rory quickly. "Jackson had some of his greenhouse produce in his car and you managed to make this great dish with just the oven and a casserole dish!"

Sookie's mouth snapped shut and she put on a smug expression instead.

"I did, didn't I?" she giggled.

"Yes, you are amazing." Lorelai said soothingly.

"Can you make that dish again?" asked Rory. "It was called Shuka Shaka or something."

"Of course I can!" said Sookie. "And it's called Shakshuka..."

Recipe: Sookie's (Oven-Baked) Snow Storm Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a Maghrebi (Northwest African) dish that is also popular throughout the Levant.

You will need a large casserole dish made of porcelain or glass. Avoid cast iron, as the tomato’s acidity can react with it. If you don’t have an oven, you can cook this on a stove, in a pan with a lid, but the cooking times will need to be adjusted.

This recipe serves 3 Rorys or 2 Lukes.

You can halve the ingredients and use a smaller casserole dish for a large single-serving meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 large can of peeled tomatoes (28 oz / ~800 g) or fresh tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are an excellent choice)
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 6 medium eggs
• Olive oil (for frying; not extra-virgin)
• Cheese of your choice: feta (soft), mozzarella, or Parmesan (hard)
• Serve with Bread (perfect for scooping!)

Herbs & Spices:

• Za’atar (Levantine spice blend, typically thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds)
• Paprika powder (2 tsp)
• Chili powder (1-2 tsp, or more if you like it hot)
• Salt (about ¾ tsp)
• (Optional) cumin
• (Optional) cilantro (dried or fresh, chopped)
• (Optional) parsley (dried or fresh, chopped)

Preparations:

• Peel and finely dice the onion.
• Wash the bell peppers, remove the cores and seeds, then finely dice.
• Crush and finely chop the garlic.
• If using a hard cheese, shave or grate it in advance.
• If using fresh tomatoes, blanch and peel them first.

Cooking Steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic to the casserole dish.
3. Pour in a generous splash of olive oil and mix with a fork until lightly coated.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown lightly.
5. Remove the dish from the oven and add the tomatoes. Crush them slightly with a fork.
6. Stir in the dried spices and salt.
7. Return to the oven for 15 minutes to let the mixture simmer.
8. Remove the dish. Use a fork to make small wells in the tomato mixture, then crack the eggs into them.
   (Optional: Sprinkle shaved hard cheese on top at this stage.)
9. Bake for 12 more minutes.

When finished, the egg whites should be set and the yolks still slightly runny. For fully set yolks, add 2-3 more minutes of baking time. If using feta, crumble it over the top just before serving. The same goes for fresh herbs.

Enjoy!