Tchertma - Zucchini and Eggs

Every once in a while someone comes into your life whose taste is so very similar to yours that it's almost eerie.  Connie is one of those people.  He says he knew he'd found the right one when he opened the meat drawer in my fridge and it was filled with about 20 kinds of cheese.  LOL, we do love our cheese.  Christiane from Taking On Magazines, aka The Mom Chef, is another of those.  Over the years I must have tried a dozen recipes from her blog.  Every last one has been wonderful.  Our very favorite (and one of our top five salads) is her cucumber/herb/feta salad.  In fact, as I type this all the ingredients are happily nestled in my fridge awaiting their preparation.  During the summer it's a wonderful way to use our cucumber harvest.  During the winter I can close my eyes and imagine summer!

Because I know our taste is so similar, I knew I'd have a terrible time choosing a recipe.  I did.  I decided that I'd go to family favorites first.  Christiane is of French and Armenian descent so I figured I'd find some fun Armenian recipes in her family recipes section.  I did.  But, I also found too many to count others that I wanted to try.  The old saying your eyes are bigger than your stomach?  Well, my file folder was bigger than my time or energy OR my stomach.  Such wonderful choices.  Lasagna D'Italia.  Made with béchamel the way I remember the best lasagna I've ever had.  Side note - it was at a pub in Cork, Ireland.  I know, last place you'd expect but it was magnificent.  Four chicken recipes called my name.  One with a juniper berry/gin/cream sauce.  My goodness but that sounded magnificent.  Cognac glazed.  Honey ginger glazed.  Hubby Doug's favorite chicken rolls - his mom's recipe.  Then, there was the moussaka.  Eggplant is one of our favorites so that was a strong contender.  Pickled beets with star anise.  I can taste that one!  Finally, I came down to two choices.  Spiced lentils with poached eggs and Tchertma
- zucchini and onions with an egg on top.  I'll admit I was hungry for an egg.  And, both of these recipes had eggs on top... 

What did we think?  Connie's exact word was unexpected.  I know.  Not a word you normally associate with tasting a dish for the first time.  At least I don't.  But, I felt the same way.  This is pure comfort food.  The zucchini is wonderfully soft.  The onions add a lovely subtle flavor.  And, the eggs are perfect.  This is the kind of dish that you get home from the office bone tired and wander out to the garden and pick a couple of zucchinis and dinner is ready in a few minutes.  Of course, this time of year the garden is not quite producing and a trip to the grocery is in order - lol. I think I need to go to Christiane's for about a week for Armenian cooking lessons! 

Now, along with the Tchertama, Connie decided we needed a cocktail.  An Armenian martini, no less:

Since it's once again time for the Blogger C.L.U.E. Society, that means all the wonderful bloggers below have hunted for other fabulous recipes on their assigned sites.  We're trying to do something with potatoes.  So, I served this with a lovely dish of rosemary potatoes:

Here's where you can see Christiane's blog:  Tchertma

And, here's how you make it

Ingredients:

1 T butter
1 small - medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 zucchinis, cut into coins
4 eggs

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium skillet on medium heat.

Add the onion and sauté until it's softened. 

Add the zucchini and cover it for about 15 minutes.

Crack the eggs on to the top of the zucchini. 

Cover and cook until your eggs are your preferred doneness. 

Here's a list of the other bloggers:

• Bacon Wrapped Potatoes w/ Sriracha Sauce by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Bacon-wrapped Smashed Redskin Puffs by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Balsamic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Basil Lime Gin Gimlet by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Cheddar Scallion Potato Buns by Lora from Cake Duchess
• Chicken Pot Pie by Heather from girlichef
• Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup by Kim from Liv Life
• Chocolate, Coconut, Butterscotch and Oatmeal Cake Cookies by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Daisy's Noisette Potatoes by Janet from Cupcakes to Caviar
• Honey Dijon Roasted Potato Salad by Ramona from Curry and Comfort
• Irish Brown Bread by Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
• Irish Old Fashioned Cocktail by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Okie Peasant Potato Soup by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Potato and Celery Root Puree by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Potato and White Bean Soup with Sage by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Potato Rolls by Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen
• Potatoes O'Brien by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Slow Cooker Beef and Guinness Pie by Anna from annaDishes
• Smoked Salmon Chowder by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
• Tchertma (Zucchini and Eggs) by Kate from Kate's Kitchen
• Thin Crispy French Fries by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake