 (Photos by Raisa Aziz for The Washington Post) | Week 11: Stay yolkWhen I was 10 or so, my idea of a good time was inviting friends over for omelettes faites par moi. I was a totally normal and carefree fifth-grader. I'd stand in front of my parents' stove top and meticulously whisk eggs, determined to make each omelet a little fluffier than the last one. It is one of my earliest, most visceral memories of cooking growing up. And after probably a dozen attempts, I was a pro. You would've thought I taught Jacques Pepin how to make an omelet. (Editor's note: She most certainly did not.) Your introduction to cooking — whether you were 10 or 30 — likely involved eggs, too. They help teach novice cooks a variety of invaluable skills, from frying to poaching. Eggs are the workhorse of my kitchen, no contest. And yet, there's something about eating eggs after 5 p.m. that can feel like a last resort — like you're admitting defeat. After a grueling day of work/school/caretaking, sometimes a crispy fried egg on toast is all we have in us! But beyond the "breakfast for dinner" and "just put an egg on it" mentalities lies a world of egg-cellent possibilities that come together just as quickly. Spicy Shakshuka from Week 1 is on the list. So is this week's Tortilla Española. And for those of us with not a minute to spare, a basket of boiled-ahead eggs can come in handy on a moment's notice. I may not whip up omelets as often as I used to, but I'm still cooking (and eating) eggs with the enthusiasm of a 10-year-old.  | This week's game plan | Cozy Ramen
This quick, comforting soup stars jammy boiled eggs and a slew of veggies — but hold the flavor packets. Tortilla Española With Indecisive Aiolis
It's a frittata! It's an omelet! No, it's the Spanish classic with potatoes, onion and chorizo!
Nicoise-y Salad
This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink spin on a French favorite makes elegant use of fridge and pantry odds and ends.  | Your shopping list | Are you all in this week? Click this link for an easy-to-save shopping list that includes ingredients for all three recipes.  | Sunday task | Boil those eggsLet's talk about the ultimate boiled egg. The shell peels off with ease and exposes a perfectly set egg white, that's a given. But you'll have to slice that baby in half to discover the true treasure you seek: a golden pot of what can only be described as "jammy" yolk — not quite set, not quite runny, but quite perfect. You, too, can achieve yolk nirvana with the help of your phone or FitBit's stopwatch, as the trick is entirely in the timer. To get things started, take five large eggs from a carton (the other seven are for your Tortilla Española later this week). Fill a pot with enough water so the eggs will be completely submerged once you add them, then bring it to a boil. Stir in a three-finger pinch of salt and a splash of white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.  | Quick tip | Life's experiences (and my mom) have taught me that a splash of vinegar helps the shell cleanly release from the cooked egg. Science says it's because vinegar (an acid) softens — and would eventually dissolve — the eggshell (calcium carbonate), making it easier to peel off without taking some egg with it. Carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water and adjust the heat so that it's slightly bubbling as opposed to a hardcore rolling boil. Set your stopwatch as soon as the eggs make contact with the water and cook for 7 minutes. Prepare a bowl of water with ice cubes in a medium bowl while the eggs do their thing. At exactly the 7-minute mark, transfer two of the eggs from the boiling water to the ice-water bath to cool down: These are the jammy-yolk guys you'll want for Cozy Ramen this week. Keep the stopwatch going. At the 9-minute mark, pull the three remaining eggs from the cooking water. These will be just on the edge of hard-cooked and perfect for a salad. Remove the 7-minute eggs from the ice-water bath and add in the 9-minute eggs. I like use pencil or Sharpie to mark a small "7" on the shells of the first two eggs so that I don't mix them up with the uncooked one when they all go back into the carton. Mark a small "9" on the last batch as well after a few minutes in the ice-water bath.  | Recipes | Cozy RamenLet's throw it back to Week 2 for a hot second. Remember tare? Tare is the flavor force in ramen, too, and it determines what "type" of ramen you order at a restaurant. Shoyu ramen is flavored with a soy-based tare, which is what we're whipping up. Ramen is endlessly riffable, so don't feel limited by the ingredients list; use what you have. And for the love of all that is good and decent, please throw out the flavor packets that sometimes come with dried ramen noodles before you get started. Ingredients2 servings
Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes. 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons mirin
3 ounces dried ramen noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 head baby bok choy, trimmed, stalks separated and sliced lengthwise
4 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon peeled, freshly grated ginger root
4 scallions, greens and whites separated and thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (ideally homemade, but *extremely Ina Garten voice* store-bought works just fine)
¼ cup cooked corn kernels (canned or frozen/defrosted)
2 jammy 7-minute eggs, sliced in half (from Sunday!)
½ sheet of nori (dried seaweed), cut into thin strips (optional)
Sriracha StepsWhisk together the soy sauce and mirin in a small cup; this is your tare. Those flavors need a little time to get to know each other, so let them bond while you get the noodles and vegetables going. Boil some water in a saucepan, add the noodles and cook them according to the package directions, which could take 2 to 4 minutes. I'd shave off a minute or so; they'll end up softening more in the hot broth. Once they're done, you can drain and divvy 'em up between serving bowls. Meanwhile, drizzle a teaspoon of the oil in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Add the bok choy and cook for about 3 minutes, until the stalks are slightly softened and the leafy tips are wilted. Transfer 'em to a plate. Heat the remaining oil in that same saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season them with a pinch of salt and cook for 3 minutes, or until they release some moisture. Toss in the grated ginger and scallion whites and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring frequently. Pour in the broth and bring everything to a boil. Once things are literally and figuratively rolling, give the everything a quick whisking and drop the heat down until the liquid is just simmering. Cook for 5 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the soy and mirin mixture. Add the cooked bok choy and corn to the bowls. Ladle the ramen broth over, which will warm them all up and help separate the noodles if they're a little sticky. Dress up the bowls with the eggs. Garnish with nori strips, if using, the scallion greens and a healthy squeeze of Sriracha to really warm you from the inside out. Tortilla Española With Indecisive AiolisMy mom whipped up many a tortilla for dinner when I was growing up. Her mom — my abueti — had let her in on a little secret, which she passed on to me and I will pass on to you: You don't have to flip the still-runny tortilla as you cook it, which is traditionally how it's made. Instead, you can finish it off under the broiler, then invert it onto a plate when it's all said and done. While purists may shake their heads about this, there is no Tortilla Police to come kick down your door. The eggs are but a binder for what you're really here for: potatoes and onions and cured Spanish chorizo, if you eat meat. You really only need seven large eggs to get the job done. Ingredients2 to 4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes.
One 12-ounce Yukon Gold or russet potato, peeled,
1 small yellow onion
1 1/2 ounces cured Spanish chorizo (one small link)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
7 large eggs
Freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic, grated
½ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil (from 8 to 10 small leaves) StepsCut the peeled potato in half lengthwise and then slice it into ⅛-inch half-moons. Trim the root and stem ends of the onion, then cut the onion in half from top to bottom. Peel the onion halves and cut them from top to bottom into thin strips. Slice the chorizo link into thin coins. This is accepted as currency in 57 countries. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof pan, over medium heat. Add the potato slices and pan-fry for 10 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they're golden and soft, but not mushy. Chuck them onto a paper towel-lined plate and season them with salt. Add the chorizo coins to the pan and cook for 1 minute or just until chorizo fat starts to render a bit and you've got a little rust-colored oil to cook the onion in. In go the onion slices. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You're not trying to brown or caramelize the onion. You want it just to soften and absorb the orangey hue of the sausage, so if things start to get a lil' crispy, drop the heat to medium-low. Transfer the chorizo and onion to the plate with the potatoes. Whisk together the eggs in a large bowl with a healthy pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Add the potato, onion and chorizo to the bowl and mix to coat them in egg. Go ahead and move an oven rack close to the broiler element, then turn the broiler on high so it's ready to roll. Add the egg mixture to the pan, gently pushing it around after you initially pour it in, but resist the urge to scramble those eggs. Cook for 3 minutes or until edges have set. Carefully transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 3 minutes, until the top has set and slightly browned, but still looks moist (ugh, sorry). Remove from the broiler and let it sit for a minute. Place a large plate on top of the skillet. Grab two oven mitts because you love your hands, then flip the skillet in one fell swoop, holding the plate tight to it, to invert the tortilla. Lift off the pan; the tortilla should be on the plate, in one piece. Let's make aioli(s) while the tortilla rests. (No, I couldn't make up my mind and that's to your benefit because there's no such thing as too much dipping sauce.) Whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, grated garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Split that mayo mixture between two small dipping bowls; whisk the paprika into one and the basil into another. Serve wedges of tortilla Española with the two aiolis — and a glass of tempranillo, because you're worth it. Leftovers: Nicoise-y Salad2 servings Grab a handful or two of your favorite tiny, waxy potatoes (such as new or fingerling). Once you've scrubbed them and cut each one in half, you're boiling them until you can easily pierce those suckers with a fork. While those are going, pan-fry both sides of a couple slices of your favorite bread in a slick of olive oil, then cut them into chunks. It's not exactly traditional, but your girl loves a crouton. That's it — that's all the "cooking" for this recipe. Now you'll just need to grab a serving plate and arrange half a head's worth of butter lettuce leaves on it for your base. Pile on some good-quality, oil-packed tuna from a 5-ounce can or jar, about half a pint of cherry or grape tomatoes cut into halves and a handful of pitted olives. The rule book says Nicoise olives, but my taste buds (and my fridge) say Castelvetrano. I lost that book eons ago, anyway. Slice the remaining 3 hard-cooked eggs from your Sunday Task from your fridge to join the party and don't forget to add the potatoes and croutons (but you wouldn't forget the best parts, anyway). Last things last: You need to whip up a quick vinaigrette. Whisk together some olive oil and fresh lemon juice (you want a fat-to-acid ratio of 3:1) and a little bit of Dijon mustard to bind them. A little minced shallot and/or chopped chives can tie the whole thing together. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, season everything with a little bit of salt and pepper and call it a day. We've only got one week left together!Tag #eatvoraciously on Instagram to show us how you're tackling Week 11, and be sure you're following us at @eatvoraciously for all that delicious Food Content. Week 12 sneak peek: Parting is such sweet potatoes. Have a question? Message us on Instagram or email us voraciously@washpost.com, and you can find me at @tanyasic on Twitter and Instagram. | 
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