Georgian Cheese and Egg Bread (Adjaruli Khachapuri) and Honey-Ginger Cauliflower

Good morning, readers! Happy Monday! I don't know about you guys, but after the ridiculously busy and stressful week I had at work, I definitely needed the weekend. I spent the majority of the weekend in my pajamas (it was fantastic) and I made a few really tasty meals!


Georgian Cheese and Egg Bread (Adjaruli Khachapuri)

Trying to take artsy shots - but look at that dough doe.

Be still my heart (and cholesterol levels)

1 lb Finally Perfect Pizza Dough
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
Garlic powder, to taste
2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 pizza stone


Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place pizza stone on bottom rack and remove the top rack completely from the oven.


After making your Finally Perfect Pizza Dough and allowing it to rise in the fridge for up to 24 hours, place on a floured surface. Cut your dough ball in half and work the two halves into 2 equal-sized rounds.


Cut a piece of parchment paper to 10X7 and cut half to get 2 equal-sized pieces of paper. Flour each piece.


Roll out the rounds into 2 oblong-shapes 10-inches long by 4-inches wide and about 1/8 of an inch thick. The more oval-shaped the dough is, the better. Place each round on the prepared parchment paper pieces.


Meanwhile, make the filling! Mash together the mozzarella and feta cheese until combined. Make a well in the center of the cheeses and crack in 1 egg. Lightly beat before mixing into the cheeses. Set aside.


Spoon half of the cheese-egg mixture into the prepared dough, leaving about 1/2 inch clear around all sides. Pile a mound (a delicious cheese mound) in the center of the dough. Repeat with the remaining cheese and dough.


Fold the dough up the sides of the cheese mound and "think canoe". I know this is an awful description of what you're supposed to be doing but it was the easiest way for me to describe what I was doing. You want to create a sturdy barrier the cheese won't be able to escape through. Twist the end of the "canoe" tightly to keep everything contained. Sprinkle the cheese with some freshly cracked black pepper.


Once the oven is at 500, using the back of a baking sheet or pizza paddle, gently slide the "canoes" and the parchment paper onto the pizza stone. Bake for 8 minutes.


After 8 minutes, rotate the "canoes" 180 degrees and brush the sides with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic powder or any additional spices you'd like onto the olive oil (full disclosure, I didn't do this part, but darn do I wish I had). Also, this is why it's useful to NOT have extra racks in your oven. Bake for an additional 8 minutes, or until golden and crispy.


After your boats are golden and delicious, make a well in the center of the cheese in each boat and crack an egg directly in the center (again, full disclosure, I didn't follow this step and tried to "crack an egg onto a convex surface," as Nate pointed out, and my egg immediately slid off, gathered on the pizza stone and adhered itself to my oven door. Don't be like me.) Bake the boats for an additional 3 minutes or until the white just begins to set.


After your eggs are just about set, immediately remove from the pizza stone and onto your serving plates. Dot the top of each boat with 1 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces.


Now you're probably freaking out about the egg. "But Lindsey, the egg is still raw, do you want us to get salmonella?" To which I say, first off don't act like you don't eat raw cookie dough anyway and secondly, mix the egg in with the hot, bubbly cheese and it'll cook into the world's best scrambled eggs.


You eat this delicious dairy concoction by ripping apart the bread boat and dipping it in the cheese. It's like fondue without the pretext of being expected to share.


I first learned of this recipe from Food Network when I saw a video on Facebook with "the cheese pull", if you've been on the internet within the past year, you've probably seen countless videos of people stretching cheese-filled items to see how long the strands of melty goodness can get before breaking. This video was similar and immediately caught my attention. I'm very thankful that it did.


We served these boats with a bottle of Bodegas Carlos Serres 'Vega Piedra' wine we got from our monthly wine subscription at the Raleigh Wine Shop. The wine itself was good, but very one-note. Nate said he chose it because the description noted it paired well with "Gran Queso Grilled Cheese Sandwiches".


This recipe yields 2 boats, but these rich boats can definitely be eaten for at least 2 meals each. They're rich and hearty and all the bread quickly fills up stomach space.


After an extremely lazy Sunday, I decided to make Nate and I a hearty but somewhat healthy meal of Honey-Ginger Cauliflower.


Honey-Ginger Cauliflower

Look at all that fresh ginger!

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch thick half-moons
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tsp Sriracha seasoning, or crushed red pepper flake
Garlic powder, to taste
Nonstick spray
1 Tbsp canola oil
5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp shallion, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 C water
2 Tsp cornstarch
White rice, for serving


Preheat oven to 400. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray with nonstick spray.


Arrange the cauliflower and zucchini on the baking sheets and season each side with salt, pepper, Sriracha seasoning and garlic powder. Spray with more nonstick spray.


Bake the cauliflower and zucchini for 20 minutes.


While the veggies are roasting, prepare the sauce. In a deep skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic and ginger for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add in your scallion and cook for an additional 2 minutes.


In a separate bowl, mix together soy sauce, tamari, rice wine vinegar, sugar, honey, water and cornstarch, for a little extra heat, add in more Sriracha seasoning or red pepper flake. After everything is combined, carefully pour into the skillet and allow to bubble and thicken. I also suggest maybe doubling the sauce recipe. It really is that good.


After your sauce is rich and thick, toss in your roasted veggies to coat and serve over a bowl of white rice.


We were able to get 2 giant bowls each out of this recipe with no leftovers (except rice, because like pasta, no one can cook the correct amount).


The sauce was sweet and floral from the honey and the ginger, slightly spicy from the Sriacha seasoning and very, very filling.


Enjoy your Monday, readers and stay tuned for more tasty bites!