ShakshukaPrint Recipe

My mum arrived last night – all the way from Australia and in much need of a rest after a gruelling 24 hour plane flight. Her body clock is all over the place and as we were planning to have dinner tonight, her stomach was telling her it was time for breakfast. I used this as an excuse to cook something I have wanted to try for a long time – Shakshuka.

I know it sounds like the latest dance craze but it isn’t, it’s a delicious dish of eggs cooked in a tomato based sauce. Most people would tend to eat this for breakfast but considering it’s ingredients, it is perfect for any meal – in particular a light supper which is what my mother needs right now.

I am not going to go into the provenance of Shakshuka as it is one of those dishes that has multiple origins and has been tossed around (and adapted by) a variety of countries and claimed by a whole lot more. Some say it shouldn’t include onions, some say that bell peppers are not appropriate and others say any form of cheese is totally out of order. Well, for the sake of a great recipe, those ingredients have all been included in this one and boy! they taste good together.

Now back to my mother, I had many New York adventures planned for her but I think most of her time may be occupied by two little girls who don’t get to see her that often. She has already been scheduled in for a scoot through Central Park tomorrow morning followed by a visit to their favourite playground. So she will be doing some sightseeing I guess, just through the eyes of small children – a unique way to see the city.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Anaheim chiles or 2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red, yellow or green capsicum (bell pepper), finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Sea salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled or Haloumi, grated
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles, capsicum (pepper) and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown – for about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 more minutes or until the garlic is soft.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle Shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with warm pitas for dipping.

You should get enough for 4 – 6 people.

Notes: Shakshuka is a staple in Tunisia, Algeria and Moroccan cuisines, it is also very popular in Israel, where it was introduced by the Tunisian Jews. 

Source: adapted from Saveur and Jewilicious

© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.